February 28, 2011

Broward has to decide Tuesday: Should they add $610,000 in artistic flair to new courthouse?

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 28, 2011 06:13 PM

Sitting in a bank account somewhere is $610,000 waiting to be spent on art at a new Broward County courthouse.

Or on something else.

County commissioners are scheduled to decide Tuesday whether to write the check to spend that money adding an artistic flair to the new county courthouse that will soon be built in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Flying saucers at the hockey arena in Sunrise. A leaping sailfish outside the Broward County Convention Center. A giant ball, upside-down “ice cream cone’’ and upended “rice cake’’ outside the current Broward County Courthouse.

They’re some of the public art monuments Broward County commissioners have already bought with tax money over the years.

But the law requiring art in public places was changed in January, allowing commissioners to waive it. With tight budgets that required major cuts, some county commissioners questioned the requirement in recent years as an extravagance county taxpayers could ill afford.

County staff say the art spending for the planned courthouse never was determined, because the whole art law was in flux. There is $845,000 in the art fund that was set aside for a family courthouse project, and county staff recommend spending $610,000 of it on the new courthouse.

The courthouse art wouldn’t be the big, stand-alone art like is seen now outside the existing courthouse, and outside many other government buildings in Broward County. It would be “functionally integrated’’ into the building, the county says, like the addition of “aesthetic features’’ to the lobby. That could be a colored lighting, or artistic tiling, or a staircase with flair.

Local artist Margi Nothard would be the creative master behind the project, if commissioners say yes.

Broward's Rodstrom offers counterproposal to red light cameras

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 28, 2011 06:11 PM

Drivers already hate sitting at red lights. Maybe they’ll get to hate it for two seconds longer.

One Broward County commissioner suggests that would be a better way to keep motorists safe from red-light runners than watching them with enforcement cameras.

Here’s what Commissioner John Rodstrom proposes: When opposing traffic gets a red light, the other direction shouldn’t immediately get green. They’d get an extra two seconds of red to clear the intersection of red-light runners.

The idea will be discussed at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting, where a showdown on the cameras is scheduled, too. Camera companies want to wrap wires around Broward’s signal light wiring, and a “yes’’ vote would clear the way for cities to expand their camera programs.

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 28, 2011 09:57 AM

Squeezed for cash and searching for ways to improve frequently abysmal voter turnout, they want the Legislature to radically alter the way Floridians vote.

The biggest changes they propose:

Regional voting supercenters: Hundreds of small, community precinct locations would be replaced with perhaps a couple of dozen voting sites per county. It would drastically reduce the number of poll workers needed, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in each election.

On-demand ballots: Super-fast printers would spit out ballots as voters show up, to cut down on waste. That’s the way it’s done during early voting. It saves because poll workers don’t have to have a big supply of ballots on hand in anticipation of a large voter turnout, which often doesn’t happen.

Make special elections by mail only: There would be no polling places, at least in cases where only one office is being decided. The logic is obvious. Palm Beach County’s four most recent special elections, in 2009 and 2010, cost $1.2 million. The three in Broward in 2008 and 2010 cost $649,000. And they attracted barely any voters.

The special primary election in the 103rd Florida House District earlier this month is a perfect example. Early voting was offered for eight hours a day over six days – and it attracted just seven voters. The Broward part of the district is home to 12,000 registered voters, but only 197 more cast their votes on Election Day. The total cost for the election, estimated at $75,000 once all the bills come in, works out to a whopping $368 per vote.

Broward’s Brenda Snipes and Palm Beach County’s Susan Bucher run elections in the two counties, but they can’t make the changes. It’s up to state legislators.

This may be the perfect time to ask. The state pays for special elections, and Gov. Rick Scott and legislators desperately want to slash the state’s budget. Closing a nearly $4 billion budget shortfall is their top priority during the legislative session that starts March 8.

State law already allows mail-only elections – if the only thing people are voting on is a referendum. They’re not allowed for elections with candidates.

Besides saving money, Snipes and Bucher said the changes they’re talking about would make voting easier for the public – and might even help increase voter turnout by making it easier for time-starved citizens to participate.

Bucher sits on a state supervisors of elections association task force examining the super center concept. She expects it will ultimately be the way Floridians vote.

Fewer locations would mean fewer poll workers, which are the most expensive part of running an election, the supervisors said. Broward had 450 polling places in the 2010 governor’s election. Staffing them with poll workers cost $931,130. Poll worker staffing at Palm Beach County’s 463 polling places in the 2010 general election cost $737,740.

People from anywhere in the county could vote at any regional supercenter. Bucher said that fits today’s society, and could increase turnout. “A lot of people are very transient. Maybe you live in Delray and work in West Palm, so you could pop into a center in West Palm.”

Election Day voting is already waning. Early voting and absentee ballots already account for nearly half the votes.

State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, a Republican who represents coastal Broward and Palm Beach counties, said she thinks there would be too much public resistance to all-mail elections. She said it might work if scaled back in-person voting – perhaps just two polling places in a community – was retained.

“Certainly that could save a tremendous amount of money, but I wouldn’t do it on the broad scale,” she said. “You still have a population of people who want to actually cast a vote. And I don’t know that you can completely take that away.”

State Rep. Matt Hudson, a Republican who represents southwest Broward, said he’s skeptical about the super center idea. He said cost savings could be achieved without disrupting peoples’ voting patterns by scaling back Election Day community polling places, to perhaps half their current level.

State Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach, said he likes both mail-only special elections and super centers as long as people are bombarded with information about the changes, the voting centers are spread throughout counties so everyone has the same access, and there are guarantees of enough staff and voting booths to avoid long lines.

State Sen. Maria Sachs, a Democrat who represents southwest Palm Beach County and northern Broward, said the proposed changes are excellent. She’d like to go even farther and figure out a system that would allow people to vote via the Internet.

“Instead of doing it the traditional 19th Century way, we need to come into the 21st Century,” Sachs said. “It amazes me that we have to walk into a venue, show an identification card, and walk over into a booth [to vote] … when I can transfer money from one account to another worldwide with a push of a button.”

City could spend $60,000 to study how to cope with county cost-cutting

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 28, 2011 09:00 AM

Just figuring out how to handle Broward County’s cost-cutting tactics could cost Fort Lauderdale city taxpayers at least $60,000.

City officials want to hire a consultant to decide what to do in light of the county saying it’s ending funding of 911 dispatch at the Fort Lauderdale Police Station.

The city says it needs a consultant to help decide if it would be better to pay the county to staff the dispatch operations, hire its own employees, become part of a Broward-led regional dispatch system or start its own regional dispatch system. The cost of the consultant study: between $60,000 and $100,000.

Faced with a $100 million budget shortfall last year, county officials argued they could no longer afford to cover emergency dispatch costs. Fort Lauderdale dispatch costs the county about $5.7 million a year, and the sheriff notified the city that he would not negotiate a new contract at the behest of the County Commission.

Pompano candidates look for economic turnaround in district with many poor, minority residents

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 28, 2011 08:50 AM

Candidates in Pompano Beach City Commission District 4 – the only one in the city with an election on March 8 – came in the other day to talk to the Sun Sentinel’s Editorial Board.

Incumbent Woodrow “Woody” Poitier is seeking re-election. Poitier was elected in a 2008 special election and won a full two-year term in 2009.

Also seeking the seat are Ed Phillips, Joseph Wells – both of whom ran in the 2008 special election – and political newcomer Shelton Pooler. All three have roots in the district. Each graduated from one of the anchors of the community, Blanche Ely High School

The district, with 8,225 registered voters, is home to many low-income and working class residents, and a large African-American population. The district straddles Interstate 95, with boundaries roughly from Dixie Highway on the east, Powerline Road on the west, Atlantic Avenue on the south, and Sample Road on the north.

Here are some video excerpts from their visit to the editorial board.

In the first one, Poitier responds to some impatience from some opponents about the pace of efforts to improve the economy in the district. He Poitier and Pooler have some back and forth, followed by comments from Wells and Phillips.

Below, on the continuation, the candidates introduce themselves and each offers his top priorities if elected.

Workshop to probe Broward's experience with Medicaid reform

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 28, 2011 07:36 AM

With Gov. Rick Scott's plan to save big bucks in the Medicaid health program for the poor generating controversy, state Rep. Elaine Schwartz, D-Hollywood, is holding a workshop to examine how a pilot effort has worked in Broward County.

Schwartz has invited health care providers in South Florida, Medicaid recipients and community members to discuss their experience under the five-county Medicaid Reform experiment. An official from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to attend.

Among participants in the workshop include state Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, County Commissioners Suzanne Gunzburger and Barbara Sharief, health care advocates and legal and medical representatives.

The event is at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Hollywood City Hall, commission chamber, 2600 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

February 25, 2011

Mobile home park residents in fear as Broward airport director Kent George eyes their homes for relocation or destruction

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 25, 2011 05:35 PM

Harold Allen thought he’d live in his single-wide mobile home forever. He added so many flourishes – marble floors, multi-colored driveway, a new deck, an elaborate outdoor waterfall – he’d poured $150,000 into by the time he was finished.

Now Broward County wants to tear it down.

Allen and his neighbors at Ocean Waterway Mobile Home Park found out about a month ago that their Dania Beach community will be in a high-noise zone when the new airport runway opens. Their manufactured homes cannot be soundproofed. So Broward County airport officials want them gone.

“Our people here are very scared,’’ says Alain Marchand, who organized a group to hire a lawyer and sort out the details.

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport can’t be seen from this park, though it’s nearby. Airplanes don’t fly over. But when the $791 million new jet runway opens in 2014, the engine noise will carry, airport officials say.

The runway neighbors are stricken, facing a big county government that has eyes on their trailers.

Like so many of the near-airport residents, they’d heard talk for years about a new runway, but it only became real to them recently, when Broward County publicized a proposal for dealing with the noise that will come. The plan is expected to come to a County Commission vote next month.

The label “trailer park’’ conjures images that don’t mesh with this 269-home neighborhood off Old Griffin Road. A lawn service keeps grass meticulously manicured with visits every 10 days, and it’s not unusual for owners to have spent a small fortune, like Allen did, on renovations. Spic-and-span SUVs with Canadian tags are parked in many of the carports.

Marchand’s mobile home is valued by the county at $81,000. He paid more than $100,000 for it and for a piece of the co-op that holds a 53-year lease.

Allen, president of the homeowner association there, said he spent thousands putting marble tile throughout, even in the closets. He paid for sidewalks, concrete steps, a paved driveway with a decorative layer on top. He knocked out walls, added a den, re-made the kitchen and bathroom, and put in a raised Florida room with a deck out back. And then there was the $4,500 waterfall.

“I just wanted a waterfall,’’ Allen explains. “I was going to be here forever.’’

The noise from the new jet runway is expected to hit 65 decibels or more at Ocean Waterways, which is just across the Dania Cutoff Canal from Melaleuca Gardens neighborhood. Broward Aviation Director Kent George said the mobile home park is one of two the county airport and Federal Aviation Administration want to spend $64 million buying, then razing, in a voluntary program that follows federal guidelines. Mobile homes that could be moved, would be. Residents would get help with finding a new place to live.

If no deal can be struck, though, the residents would be stuck to sell on their own, or live with the noise. George said the noise won’t really be unbearable, and he also said health concerns some have raised have no basis.

“It is not as disastrous as being presented by some people,’’ George said.

The other park, Marshalls Everglade Mobile Home Park in Davie, has just one owner. Ocean Waterways has at least four underlying landowners, and a 53-year lease owned by 181 members of a co-op. George said it’s up to the mobile home park residents to work out an agreement with the landowners – an overwhelming task Marchand and his neighbors can’t fathom.

Marchand put together a request that differs from the county’s plan, assuring each resident some payment whether the landowners agree to sell or not, but George said he’s not changing what he has.

“This is not something that Broward County dreamed up,’’ he said. “This is a federal act that has been time tested.’’

Marie Scala, a “tough New Yorker’’ in the 55-and-older park, said a “smug’’ George met with the mobile home park recently and told them they have a decision to make – they all go, or they all stay. He told them it’s their job to get agreement from the landowners, and no dollar amounts can be discussed until then.

“They want your property but they don’t want to make a deal? That’s like someone walking in and holding you up without a gun!’’

Residents speak out about short-term rentals

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 25, 2011 02:46 PM

The possibility that Fort Lauderdale could restrict short-term rentals prompted a couple hundred people to turn out this week in protest.

Landlords and real estate agents argued that too much regulation could harm the local economy by turning away visitors and causing people to lose property if they can’t rent it out.

The city began discussing restrictions after some residents complained that short-term rentals in their neighborhoods were causing too much noise, trash and traffic. A task force is drawing up recommendations for the City Commission and held a public hearing this week.

Here is Fort Lauderdale resident John Perry explaining why he favors short-term rentals. On the jump are some of the other speakers.

This is resident and real estate agent Susan Weaver discussing the type of clientele that she rents to.

Adam Sanders spoke on behalf of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

Jason Dunbar spoke on behalf of the marine industry. Yacht captains often use short-term rentals to house crews.

Resident Charles Resta was one of the few to speak in favor of regulation. He said short-term rentals are destroying his neighborhood.

Anti-war liberals, disillusioned with Obama, plan weekend gathering

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 25, 2011 10:20 AM

Activists, authors and academics disillusioned with President Barack Obama are gathering Saturday in Boca Raton.

They’ll get together to hear David Swanson and Nicolas “Sandy” Davies.

Swanson, author of “War Is A Lie,” is a leader of WarIsACrime.org, where 150 people from the left end of the political spectrum, have declared their opposition to Obama’s renomination for another term of office and vowed to “actively seek to impede his war policies unless and until he reverses them.”

Davies, of North Miami, is the local coordinator of the Miami chapter of the Progressive Democrats of America and author of “Blood On Our Hands: the American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq.”

“Having thoroughly researched the extent of the disaster the previous administration inflicted on the people of Iraq, I’m deeply disturbed by President Obama’s failure to make a clean break with those policies,” Davies said via e-mail.

Also appearing at Saturday’s event is Ben Ferencz, the last surviving prosecutor from the World War II Nuremberg war crimes trials. He’ll make a statement on U.S. foreign policy at the event.

Afterwards, some of the activists plan to head about a half mile to a 5 p.m. protest at the Bank of America, 21060 Saint Andrews Blvd. in Boca Raton. Their call is for Bank of America to pay higher taxes.

Fort Lauderdale budget board complains of lack of cooperation

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 25, 2011 10:00 AM

Fort Lauderdale’s budget advisory board is complaining about a lack of cooperation from city management in doing their work.

They have told commissioners that they have not received financial information such as an accurate count of employees and updated numbers on cash reserves from the city. The commission had re-committed itself four months ago to having the budget board play a major role in preparing a spending plan for next year.

"We would like to be consulted and involved in a collaborative process," said Alan Silva, a board member and former acting city manager. "Some of the board feel there is more of a us versus them attitude. We had thought from the last meeting with the commission that we were supposed to stand in the commission's stead and get information as if they asked for it. "

City Commission Charlotte Rodstrom said she plans to raise the issue at Tuesday night’s meeting.

“They’re saying that they have not found staff very cooperative and that information has not been coming in a timely manner,” Rodstrom said. “And that makes me worried that we are falling behind in finding the efficiencies that we need to find for next year.”

The advisory board is pressing city commissioners not to raise property tax rates nor to raid reserves this fall to balance next year’s budget. It chastised the commission last year for using cash reserves and not taking a deeper looking at city spending.

They want the commission to look at staffing, potential department consolidation, the sharing of administrative services and the sale of surplus property to balance the 2012 budget.

The budget board has raised concerns that the city seems to be waiting for the budget unveiling in July to release details on such things as department consolidation. They'd rather be consulted beforehand so they can discuss whether the plans are good or go far enough.

The commission approved a $611.7 million budget last September that kept property tax rates level despite a $31 million deficit created by declining property values. To overcome the deficit, commissioners used $6.9 million in reserves, eliminated dozens of vacant positions, raised some fees, delayed vehicle purchases and made a series of largely minor cuts in agency spending.

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 25, 2011 09:00 AM

Almost $500,000 in tax money could soon be spent to settle a decade-old fight between Fort Lauderdale and developers over the fate of a prime piece of beach property.

City commissioners next week will consider paying the money rather than risk a trial over of the ill-fated Palazzo Las Olas project. Developers of Palazzo sued for more than $40 million after city officials killed plans for an urban village of condos and shops on city-owned land at Las Olas Boulevard and South Birch Road.

The settlement would remove a roadblock to current city plans to redevelop the beach. The city wants to use the property at the heart of the lawsuit for a park and promenade along the Intracoastal Waterway as well as for restaurants, a visitors center and a parking garage.

“It’s the most economically efficient course of action for us to take,” Mayor Jack Seiler said. “The city gets to move on and put this chapter behind us.”

The Palazzo debacle symbolized both the building boom and subsequent anti-development furor in Fort Lauderdale in the early part of the 2000s.

The decisions surrounding the project pre-date Seiler as well as the other four current commissioners. No one remains in office who hired the developers or who later rejected the plans.

Commissioners met behind closed doors in December to discuss the possibility of a settlement. They would take $475,000 from cash reserves that the city set aside as insurance in the case.

City Attorney Harry Stewart told commissioners in a memo that the Palazzo case has wound through the state court system for years and would be scheduled for trial soon. He warned a courtroom battle poses the chance for the developers to win a “significant award.”

Stewart said the Palazzo developers are confident that they can prove out-of-pocket expenses of $5 million, $9 million in debt and contracts for the pre-sale of condos totaling $100 million. A court could order the city to allow the project to go forward or be held liable for damages and attorney fees, he said.

Palazzo was a key part of an earlier vision the city had for the beach.

The city wooed developers in 2000 to remold the 7.5-acre parking lot at the beachside foot of the Las Olas bridge. Officials believed it would spur further redevelopment on the beach and add needed extra parking.

The city chose a development group that included Trinidadian billionaire Lawrence Duprey in 2001 and spent the next two years negotiating the details. The plans called for a 16-story condo, a six-story condo-retail complex and a public parking garage.

But then the spring 2003 election occurred. Voters raged against development, and Palazzo was a prime example. The reconstituted City Commission refused in November 2003 to give an essential approval needed under Fort Lauderdale land-use regulations.

The developers accused the city of breaking their contract and acting in bad faith. They said the vote was intentionally delayed until after the election. Their lawsuit was packed with sworn affidavits in support of their allegations from former commissioners and the former city manager, Floyd Johnson.

Two former commissioners who favored the project, Carlton Moore and Tim Smith, said Thursday that they still stand by Palazzo as something that would greatly benefit the beach. Smith said the city has been left with “a pot-holed parking lot” rather than an Italian-like shopping area with cobblestone streets.

“Folks were opposing a nice shopping village on the beach, and the furor never made since to me,” said Smith, who was termed too pro-development in the 2003 mayor’s race. “It got caught up in that crazy anti-development fever of that era. Cooler heads should have prevailed.”

Beach activist Steve Glassman cringes at the notion of paying out $475,000, but said he understands why the city would settle. He led the Central Beach Alliance at the time and strongly opposed Palazzo Las Olas.

“To me though it’s not ideal, it’s a business decision and gives the city a chance to move forward and do something special with the property,” Glassman said.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 25, 2011 08:00 AM

Broward Clerk of Courts Howard Forman told Broward County commissioners and some city officials earlier this week that red light camera enforcement does have court costs associated with it, that aren't being paid for by anyone right now.

He said there are 18 intersections in Broward that have the cameras now, and so far there've been about 1,400 tickets given, 370 of which were challenged.

By mid-summer, he forecasted, there would be cameras at 64 intersections, there would be 5,200 tickets given, and 1,316 of them would be challenged.

"So far we're handling them OK,'' he said, "because you don't have a lot of tickets coming in. If they do, we will have a burden.''

The courts are paid for by the state. He said he'd show the statistics to the state in hopes of getting some financial backup. Any support he can get from local politicians he said he'd appreciate. There's talk of asking that $2 of each ticket be given to the court system to pay for the new influx of cases.

A showdown on the red light camera issue is coming to county hall Tuesday.

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 24, 2011 07:04 PM

They warned of dire economic consequences including another wave of foreclosures and an exodus of tourist and mariners. They said the city should not crack down when most renters do not disturb neighboring homeowners with loud parties and traffic.

A city task force is considering whether to strengthen restrictions on rentals in light of hundreds of property owners who regularly rent homes for less than a month in possible violation of land-use rules. City commissioners created the task force after complaints that such rentals are disturbing the peace and quiet of single-family neighborhoods.

More than 200 people turned out for a public hearing – overwhelmingly in opposition to restriction.

John Perry, a Citrus Isles resident, said he rents out the home next to his own to vacationers and never realized it could be illegal. He said he is unemployed currently and could lose both properties if he could not rent the one.

“This will affect a lot of people, and we wouldn’t lose one home but both homes,” he told the task force.

Charles Resta, a Harbor Beach resident, was one of those who wanted stronger rules.

He said his neighborhood has been plagued by daily and weekend rentals that are not professionally managed. One house has had 43 nuisance complaints, he said. He said he has seen 18 people stay in a three-bedroom house and that one landlord deceived tenants about amenities. He said he’s witnessed a maid pushing a cleaning cart down the street to rentals.

“They lease daily, weekly, anything goes,” Resta said.

Fort Lauderdale has no law directly regulating short-term rentals of homes or condos. Rather, there is a mix of land-use rules and what city attorneys say are standard business definitions. Rentals of more than a month are OK, but landlords who rent for shorter periods may be breaking the law.

Many of the proponents of short-term rentals argued that the city should allow a minimum of one-week rentals. They said licensing and other regulations could also weed out problem landlords.

Area resident and real estate agent Susan Weaver said she doesn’t rent to partiers. Rather, she said, her tenants have include Italian eye surgeons attending a convention, cancer patients going to the hospital, retired couple headed on cruises and local residents whose homes are being repaired.

“Does a family of five who rents a vacation home pull out of a driveway more often than a family of five who owns a home?” Weaver asked. “Does a family of five who rents a vacation home throw away more garbage than a family of five that owns a home.”

Scott House, the head of a new vacation rental association, and leaders of local real estate associations said the city needed to wary of harming the housing market when there is a high foreclosure rate and reduced home values. They said yacht crews rent houses for short-term stays and that most of the vacation rental market are families and those who want private pools or spas.

“We’ve experienced a terrible blow to the economy, and we cannot afford to take another blow,” said Adam Sanders of the Realtor Association of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

IRS tax liens dog Deerfield candidate Coddington

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 24, 2011 04:05 PM

Coddington declared bankruptcy in 2004, a public records search shows. He also accrued IRS tax liens of more than $800,000, which all have been satisfied.

“The bankruptcy was necessary primarily to divide the assets in a divorce … We were going to dissolve it anyhow,” said Coddington, who co-owned Team Land Development with his former wife. The business was also facing an insurance judgment against a bonding company of about $1 million, he said.

“There were no personal debts absolved as part of that,” Coddington said of the bankruptcy.

But now that he’s running for the District 1 commission seat against incumbent Joe Miller and Cody Loomis, his financial problems are gaining new currency on the Internet. “It’s no small wonder why Coddington wants to cut taxes,” blogger Chaz Stevens wrote in listing the bankruptcy and liens.

The IRS filed tax liens totaling $680,000 for the 1996, 1998 and 1999 tax years. Coddington said the liens stemmed from money he invested with Sterling Foster & Co., which fleeced investors of millions of dollars. Coddington lost more than $1 million in investments because of the fraud, but ended up owing tax money on the investments even after the money disappeared, he said.

“It took me about 10 years to pay it all back. The final amount was paid back after the bankruptcy,” Coddington said.

A $135,000 IRS lien for the 1990 tax year occurred because of the accounting method used by his firm’s accountant, he said.

“We incurred taxes on paper for money we hadn’t received,” Coddington said. An amended tax return eventually was filed, reflecting the actual income earned and reducing the amount of the lien, which was satisfied in 1993, he said.

FDLE investigating Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 24, 2011 03:15 PM

UPDATED WITH COMMENT from State Attorney's Office
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti's decision to take his teen son to the Super Bowl with credentials from Broward Sheriff's Office, that agency confirmed.

Heather Smith at FDLE said Thursday that the agency's Tallassee-based Office of Executive Investigations would handle the probe, which would include interviewing witnesses and likely the sheriff himself.

"What we’re investigating is the issue of the issuance of credentials to the sheriff’s son at the Super Bowl,'' she said. Smith said the Broward State Attorney's Office's Public Corruption Unit contacted FDLE last week and requested the investigation.

In short, Lamberti took his then-15-year-old son, Nick, along with him to handle security at last year's Saints vs. Colts matchup. Lamberti's son was among many at BSO who got credentials, but obviously is not a deputy.

Lamberti said he and his son saw none of the game.

"It was not a ticket,'' Lamberti said. "I was not sitting in a skybox with a bowl of popcorn.''

Ron Ishoy, spokesman at the State Attorney's Office, said this:

"We received a complaint. We decided to ask for FDLE's assistance because we felt that FDLE, as a police agency, would be able to provide an additional persepective on police procedures. We have assigned a prosecutor to assist FDLE on this matter."

Just released: Official meeting minutes of Broward official's "F-bomb''

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 24, 2011 02:02 PM

Minutes of the public meeting have just been released, detailing the exact wording of the exchange in which the older, long-serving libraries director in Broward County hurled the "F-bomb.''

If you need a memory refresher on this "loose cannon'' moment, for which Director Bob Cannon apologized, click here.

Cannon apologized in the meeting, as well, immediately after his rant. According to the minutes, he was upset that the county's historical commission was ungrateful for what he'd done for them since he was tasked with taking them under the wing and budget of the libraries division. They were complaining about the arrangement, and then they asked him to have someone look at county meeting agendas for them.

Here's what the minutes say happened next:

Director Cannon asked “Do you want to dump the Libraries? I am not going to do your
work for you. The reason these lights are on is because I am sitting here. We have
absorbed all these people. We have absorbed the cost of printing, travel, everything. If
you want to absorb them, fine. We will turn the lights off. It is a burden on us. It is a f---ing
burden. You can’t have it both ways; you can’t tell me what to do and you can’t say you
don’t want help from the Libraries. You have to choose. I don’t really care. I was told to
take this over. I’m sitting here.”

Much of the organizing for the Florida events is taking place online, largely on Facebook.

“When the Florida Legislature convenes on March 8th, 2011, our state faces a critical choice. Do we continue to cut and harm Florida's children, our police officers and our firefighters, the uninsured, and our natural resources? Or will we finally say enough and close down the unnecessary and unproductive exemptions and loopholes that cost Floridians more than $12 billion a year and balance Florida's budget responsibly?” one online pitch said.

Another posting urges people to “Stand UP for Police Officers, Firefighters, Teachers and other public employees! 3.3 billion in budget cuts to Education alone !! Stand up for the Children !!!”
The tea party is already on alert.

Tea Party Fort Lauderdale is planning a counter-rally at the same time and place as the Fort Lauderdale Awake the State rally.

In her e-mail to supporters, Tea Party Fort Lauderdale co-organizer Danita Kilcullen described Awake the state as an “anti-conservative, liberal organization” that was planning to work against Scott “and his life-or-death budget cuts.”

Kilcullen urged tea party activists and their friends to “show up in gargantuan numbers to overwhelm their numbers and reduce any influence they may bring.”

State Rep. Mark Pafford, D-West Palm Beach, who is helping promote the Awake the State rallies, said the presence of tea party activists won’t diminish the impact of people rallying against proposed budget cuts.

“What you have seen are tea party folks for a good 18 months,” he said. But because they haven’t had people in place in the governor’s office and the Florida Senate willing to pursue the agenda the tea party wants, opposition voices have been muted.

Often people come to Tallahassee to push their views on one particular program, Pafford said. But an umbrella organization that brings a variety of people together could have an impact, he said.

He said Facebook is an important way to start action.

“It just seemed like a great way to communicate to people that normally aren’t part of the process that’s going to impact them the most,” he said.

“Sort of like a modern way to gather and also to organize. Use it to organize, and then show up physically. Let that be your informational platform. Give people the information and then people need to actually get off their couch and show up.”

The events are March 8. South Florida locations are 5 p.m. at the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale and 4 p.m. at the downtown waterfront in West Palm Beach.

Rodstrom says he'll back safety improvements on Las Olas

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 24, 2011 09:00 AM

Broward County Commissioner John Rodstrom says he is willing to back the city of Fort Lauderdale’s effort to improve crosswalks and reduce the speed limit on Las Olas Boulevard.

City officials and area merchants are pushing the ideas as ways to increase safety in the busy and historic shopping district. But the city needs county approval because the county has control over the road.

Merchants have complained about numerous near accidents between pedestrians and motorists. Two pedestrians were hit by cars and killed last year along the street, and the city has stepped up traffic enforcement – issuing twice as many tickets last year as in 2009.

City commissioners last week said they would ask the county about dropping the speed limit from 35 mph and allowing fluorescent green pedestrian crosswalk signs mid-block similar to signs along State Road A1A on the beach. They also want reflective tape to illuminate the crosswalks.

County staff has told the city that with such pedestrian markings goes against its standards.

Rodstrom said the city has not formally asked him to take up the issue, but saw the steps as reasonable.

“It’s pretty chaotic,” Rodstrom said. “People are darting out all over, and it’s an obstacle course.”

Mail ballots can be requested through Wednesday -- although waiting that long may make it difficult to get the ballot in the mail and have it returned by the March 8 deadline.

Cooney and Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said people should be sure to follow the instructions. Cooney said voters sometimes forget to sign the outside of the ballot envelope, which means the voter can’t be verified. Under state law that means the ballot isn’t counted.

Absentee ballots must be back at the county elections office by 7 p.m. on Election Day, March 8. Postmarks don’t count.

To request an absentee ballot, voters can call or go online to the supervisor of elections office in the county where they live.

Besides signing the envelope, make sure your vote counts by marking the ballot exactly the way the instructions specify. If you don't, it might not scan correctly and might not get counted.

To get mail (absentee) ballots or for answers to questions, voters can call or go online.

The Broward Supervisor of Elections Office has online information at www.browardsoe.org or by phone at 954-357-7050.

The Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office has online information at www.pbcelections.org or 561-656-6200.

Each county has an option for people who realize after the deadline they want to cast an absentee ballot. In Broward, Cooney said people can call and arrange a time to pick up a ballot at the elections office equipment center at the Lauderhill Mall.

In Palm Beach County, Bucher has placed equipment in each of her offices that can quickly print ballots, so a person can go in from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays to vote in person.

You can check online to see if your absentee ballot has been received.

In Broward, go to www.browardsoe.org/VoterLookup.aspx. In Palm Beach County, go to www.pbcelections.org and click on “voter information lookup” in the right side rail.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 24, 2011 08:00 AM

One of Broward's congressmen paid a visit to the County Commission this week, to deliver a message of concern about the budget in D.C.

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, gave -- or, actually, read -- the above speech this week in county hall.

"The dynamics in Washington, as you probably noticed, have changed,'' the congressman told the County Commission.

Deutch said he fears the voters' mandate about wanting jobs and a better economy "may have been forgotten.''

He said student Pell Grants would be slashed, early education in Head Start takes a hit, important research spending would be reduced, roads and highway spending would be cut, and there was "an attempt'' to cut money for beach renourishment.

February 23, 2011

UPDATED: Another high-ranking Gretsas aide to leave City Hall

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 23, 2011 11:24 AM

Another member of George Gretsas’ inner circle at Fort Lauderdale City Hall is leaving in the wake of his own departure as city manager.

David Hebert announced that he will leave in April as assistant city manager. Ted Lawson announced last month his resignation from another assistant city manager position to become director of operations at the Cleveland Clinic.

Hebert was mum about his future plans in an interview Wednesday. He said he was taking some time off and then pursuing some new opportunities that have arisen.

“The timing is right for me to take a look around and assess where I’m in on my life journey,” Hebert said.

Both Hebert and Lawson followed Gretsas from New York to Fort Lauderdale, each starting as the city’s public information officer before rising to assistant managers. Gretsas left Fort Lauderdale government last summer when his contract expired and is now the city manager in Homestead.

Hebert made news during Gretsas' fight over the direction of the Police Department.

Gretsas angered the police union when he assigned Hebert to watch over the agency. Then-Police Chief Bruce Roberts soon resigned, criticized Gretsas' administration, announced he would run for the City Commission and defeated a Gretsas supporter in the 2009 city election.

Before coming to Fort Lauderdale, Hebert spent 10 years working for the district attorney of Westchester County, New York. When Gretsas moved here in 2004, he fired the city spokeswoman, Leslie Backus, and replaced her with Hebert.

Hebert said he plans to spend the next couple weeks working on such issues as union negotiations and budget issues.

Hebert stood by the Gretsas administration, saying he was “proud of being part of a truly effective management team” and noting that when he arrived the city was in a budget crisis but now is on much more stable footing.

“I’m very proud about the work staff has done and the accomplishment achieved,” Hebert said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity to work with a bunch of talented people.”

Interim City Manager Allyson Love named parks director Phil Thornburg to fill in for Hebert.

Vacation rentals mobilize over City Hall restriction debate

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 23, 2011 09:00 AM

Fort Lauderdale residents who rent out homes on a short-term basis are mobilizing to stave off a possible city crackdown.

A group called the South Florida Vacation Rental Association has expanded to more than 400 members after forming in response to city discussions about whether to strengthen city rental restrictions. They are planning to turn out in force Thursday night when a city advisory board holds a public hearing on the subject. The hearing is 5-8 p.m. at City Hall.

At issue is that hundreds of property owners in Fort Lauderdale are regularly renting their homes for less than a month in possible violation of city rules. Some who live near rentals say their neighborhoods complain of noise, traffic and garbage, but those in the business say any move to curb rentals would lead to another wave of foreclosures.

The vacation rental group has brought in public relations executive Chuck Malkus to tout its cause and is proposing a compromise. Malkus says the group is willing to talk compromise – such as a ban on rentals of less than a month and registration of rentals.

The issue has become a hot political button. An e-mail has flown around city activists and politicians depicting Thursday’s public hearing as a secret meeting and blaming Mayor Jack Seiler for the idea.

Malkus said the vacation rental group is not behind the e-mail blast and described it as unfortunate.

The City Commission set up the task force, and Seiler has said he’s open-minded about what should be done. He said he wants to stop abuses of short-term rentals, but said the city has been cautious because of the ripple effects.

Pembroke Pines plans crackdown on city seal pirates

> Posted by Staff Writer on February 23, 2011 08:31 AM

It may soon be a crime to use the Pembroke Pines official city seal without permission.

The city plans to join a short list of Broward municipalities where “unauthorized” use of the city’s seal can land you up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

Why would they worry about such a thing?

Well, Commissioner Angelo Castillo noted during his January election against Mike Rubinstein that his opponent used the city seal on his campaign website.

“A constituent was offended to see the city seal on the candidate website,” Castillo said. “I called the city attorney and told him about it.”

Castillo was offended, too. He noted at last week’s commission meeting that the city “recently saw the seal misused,” referring to Rubinstein’s site.

Because the law the city already has on the books establishing the city seal doesn’t provide for a punishment for misuse, Rubinstein got away with it. Had the offense been criminal at the time, he could’ve gone to jail.

Rubinstein took the seal down when the city asked him to, said Assistant City Attorney Jacob Horowitz.

City Attorney Sam Goren said Pembroke Pines’ desire for protection of their official seal is not unique.

“Most cities are interested in the misuse of the seal,” he said.

Castillo urged the commission toward caution in adopting the new ordinance, though. He noted that the new law might make it illegal to print or display photos that happen to capture the seal, such as photos of the commission chambers.

Coral Springs and Tamarac already have ordinances establishing the seal and punishments for misuse. A state statute established in 1981 says a city formally adopting a seal must do it by ordinance and establish misuse as a class two criminal misdemeanor. Many cities do not formally adopt a seal.

Pembroke Pines’ seal is a circle depicting a sunset and a slash pine with the words “Join Us — Progress with Us.” It was adopted without criminal penalties in 1967.

The new ordinance is up for final approval at the commission’s regular meeting March 16, said City Clerk Judy Neugent.

Young candidate starts early – very early – campaign for city commission seat

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 23, 2011 08:07 AM

Dan Daley, a 21-year-old aide to a state legislator, is already beginning his campaign for Coral Springs City Commission – in the November 2012 election.

Though he works as a legislative assistant to state Rep. Ari Porth, a Coral Springs Democrat, Daley is a Republican – and the invitation to his kick-off event includes some notable Broward Republicans, including Sheriff Al Lamberti and County Commissioner Chip LaMarca and Republican committeeman Joe Eikenberg.

Three current commissioners – Vince Boccard, Tom Powers and Larry Vignola, all Republicans – are on Daley’s committee as are Democrats Porth and state Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland.

The city commission contest is non-partisan, and Daley will be running without a party label in a mostly-Democratic city. The city’s voters are 45.8 percent Democratic, 27.2 percent Republican and 27 percent independent/no party affiliation.

Daley said he’s starting now because he plans to knock on “thousands” of voters doors.

“I have a proven track record of volunteering and working tirelessly for this community, on city boards, in the State Legislature, and in civic associations. I am ready and excited to take my service to the next level,” he said in a statement.

Daley owns a business, Equine Excellence Enterprises, which sells horse products across Florida and the Northeast. His campaign-issued biography is below, on the continuation.

Daley’s March 2 campaign kickoff is at a favorite spot for Republican gatherings in northwest Broward, Wings Plus in Coral Springs.

BIOGRAPHY OF DAN DALEY (supplied by Daley)

Since moving to Coral Springs in 2001, Dan has been making an impact in the community. During the more than ten (10) years that Dan worked with the United States Air Force Auxiliary (Civil Air Patrol), he left a lasting impact on countless teenagers, the majority of which live in Coral Springs. While Dan served as Commander of the Coral Springs Cadet Squadron, the Squadron was named the top in the United States. Dan also commanded his Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps detachment at Stoneman Douglas High School.

During his time at FSU, Dan served a year with the United States Air Force as a contracted cadet with the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He also served as the Clerk to the FSU Supreme Court and chaired a philanthropic event to benefit the Wounded Warrior program. Additionally, Dan began working full-time for the Florida House of Representatives in June of 2009, while still attending courses at Florida State University on a full-time basis.

While working for the Florida state legislature, Dan helped pass the Jeffrey Klee Memorial Act, which eliminated the statute of limitations on murder or manslaughter in civil cases. The Jeffrey Klee Memorial Act was named after a young Coral Springs man who lost his life in 1977. Dan also worked on and helped to pass legislation that further protected members of the homeless community, and legislation that eventually led to the creation of the Office of the Inspector General in Broward County, a position that targets government waste and corruption.

After graduating with Cum Laude Honors from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science and Criminology, Dan returned to his hometown of Coral Springs and started his own small business, Equine Excellence Enterprises, which sells horse products across Florida and the Northeast.

As a small business owner in the city, Dan has a vested interest in the economic development opportunities in Coral Springs. Acutely aware of the current economic climate and with a desire to improve employment opportunities for the city, Dan has worked with Commissioner Tom Powers to form the College Outreach Subcommittee as part of the Customer Involved Government Committee, which creates a database to show potential businesses the workforce Coral Springs has to offer. Dan serves on the Customer Involved Government Committee, Co-Chairs the College Outreach Subcommittee, and the Youth and Family Committee.

Dan believes that public service is the cornerstone of our community. In addition to his efforts in Coral Springs, he plays an active role on the board of AMI Kids of Greater Fort Lauderdale, an alternative day treatment school for juvenile offenders, and serves on the board of Friends of the Broward Sexual Assault Treatment Center.

After living in Coral Springs for ten (10) years, Dan’s parents (Ann Mari and Dan Daley) now reside in Lake Worth, Florida, closer to their harness racing business. The Daleys have a long history of military service in both the United States Navy and United States Army. Dan was the first in his family to graduate from college and now looks to carry on the family tradition of service before self by being elected to the Coral Springs City Commission and serving the residents of Coral Springs.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 23, 2011 08:00 AM

Broward's Floyd Johnson is a top finalist to run the city of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Johnson, a former Marine Corps captain from Richmond, Va., was Broward County administrator back in the day, that day being a long time ago, in the 1980s. In more modern times, 1998 to 2003, he was city manager of Fort Lauderdale. Even closer to the present, he ran the Community Redevelopment Agency in Riviera Beach, and right now he's the northwest CRA director in Pompano Beach.

February 22, 2011

Cardinal Gibbons has go-ahead to use stadium lights

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 22, 2011 04:26 PM

Cardinal Gibbons High School can begin playing sports at night under its stadium lights.

The lights were installed three years ago, but a protracted battle at Fort Lauderdale City Hall kept the field at the elite private school dark. City commissioners quietly gave the go-ahead for the lights to be used as of this week.

Commissioners had 30 days to object after the planning board approved the lights last month, but none sought another vote.

School administrators said Tuesday that they have no immediate plans to use the lights for spring lacrosse. They said they have some minor work to do to ready the lights and plan to install a fence and more landscaping first.

New legal problems, though, are on the horizon. Two nearby residents have sued alleging the decision violates city land-use restrictions on ensuring neighborhood compatibility.

The school spent $250,000 to install the four lights. Under a compromise with the city, the school has promised to use them for no more than 30 games a year unless one of its teams made post-season playoffs.

Deerfield candidate’s answer raises more questions about conflict

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 22, 2011 12:38 PM

Staff writer Larry Barszewski reports:

Gloria Battle tried to distance herself Monday night from an ethics violation allegation made against her, but the answer the Deerfield Beach City Commission candidate gave at a candidates’ forum added more fuel to her critics’ claims.

Battle served a two-month stint as interim commissioner in 2009 and during that time voted for a grant for the Haitian American Consortium on which she was listed as the project director. Federal housing officials want the city to reimburse the $12,207 in federal funds spent on the grant because of Battle’s apparent conflict-of-interest vote.

Battle maintains she received no pay for her work, but was reimbursed for some of her expenses. That’s the point she was making at the forum, but in answering the question said she was also reimbursed for “typing,” which sounds like a payment for services.

“I did write a grant for a nonprofit at no cost to them,” Battle said. “Yes, they did pay for my expenses, and that was for reimbursing me for typing and consumable office goods that I had to use in terms of writing that grant for them.”

That was enough for blogger Chaz Stevens, who asked the question and who has filed numerous complaints with the Broward State Attorney’s Office and federal officials concerning the Battle vote.

Stevens fired off a new e-mail to the state attorney’s office and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – and a later e-mail attaching a link to a YouTube clip of the answer – pressing the issue.

“I reiterate my assertion that Battle clearly violated Florida Statute 838.016 Unlawful compensation or reward for official behavior by voting on a matter with special pecuniary interest,” Stevens wrote. “As such, I ask that your office immediately arrest Battle and charge her appropriately.”

Battle is one of three candidates seeking to oust Commissioner Sylvia Poitier, who has her own set of ethics violation allegations for conflict-of-interest votes she is alleged to have made.

Monday’s candidate forum was sponsored by The Observer weekly newspaper.

Broward airport's Kent George: Nevermind, Dania. We're not polling your homeowners like we said we would

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 22, 2011 09:55 AM

Broward County Aviation Director Kent George told Dania Beach elected officials he won't conduct an opinion poll of Dania Beach near-airport homeowners after all. George had said he'd send out the poll and that it would be paid for with county airport funds.

Here's George's letter
to Dania Beach officials; he cites the litigation between Dania and Broward County, in saying he cannot conduct the poll. Dania Commissioner Bob Anton said he will ask his colleagues at their meeting Tuesday night to have Dania conduct this poll.

Anton said this turnabout is typical of how Broward County has treated its daughter city Dania in those whole many-decades-long airport expansion saga.

The purpose of the poll was to find out if the majority of homeowners who will be affected by the planned new runway at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport now want to be bought out by the county and flee the neighborhood. That was the overwhelming sentiment at a recent meeting, which you can click here if you need your memory refreshed about. Or you can see it in the video above.

If that's the majority sentiment, that'd be contrary to the county's understanding and plans. The county's plan all this time was to move in a way that protects the neighborhoods, so that residents can stay there, co-existing with the new jet runway. The only neighborhoods the county figures cannot co-exist peacefully are two mobile home parks; those homes cannot be soundproofed in order to make life bearable. (More on that to come.)

15 apply for job as Sunrise city attorney

> Posted by Staff Writer on February 22, 2011 09:00 AM

Staff writer Susannah Bryan reports:

Sunrise’s search for a city attorney to replace Stuart Michelson has netted 15 applicants.

They include Davie Town Attorney John Rayson, Sunrise Assistant City Attorney Kimberly Kisslan and the law firm Goren, Cherof, Doody & Ezrol, PA., which represents Pembroke Pines and several other cities in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Michelson, husband and law partner of Broward Commissioner Ilene Lieberman, has said he will resign by the end of March. Since hiring him in August 2008, Sunrise has paid him $432,000 a year to cover his salary and that of his staff.

At the time, commissioners were widely criticized for not putting the contract out to bid.

Michelson’s position came under fire soon after Mayor Mike Ryan was elected in August. Ryan, also an attorney, questioned Michelson’s billing practices and some of the legal advice he had given the commission.

The city attorney search is not on the agenda for Tuesday’s meeting at City Hall, but Commissioner Don Rosen says he plans to bring it up.

“I want to make sure the cone of silence doesn’t take effect before we get a chance to interview all these people,” Rosen told the Sun Sentinel on Monday. “I want to make sure we are hiring the right person.”

Six law firms and nine attorneys applied by the city’s deadline Friday .

Richard Lemack
Former Hollywood assistant city manager (2002-2008) and Hollywood assistant police chief (21 years with department, starting as an officer in 1981 and working his way up); police officer for Fort Lauderdale Police Department since July 2010. Ran for sheriff in 2008, but lost Democratic primary in August to Scott Israel.

Horace McHugh
Assistant city manager in Oakland Park since 2008; former assistant city manager in Miami Gardens (2004-2008); and assistant to the Fort Lauderdale city manager (1992-2004).

Braulio Rosa
Former town spokesman from 2005 through Jan. 6, 2011; worked for town since 1998, first hired to coordinate events; tendered resignation two weeks before Shimun’s termination.

Charles Smith
Budget manager and assistant director for Wellington in Palm Beach County since 2010; financial operations manager for Plantation (2006 -2010); vice president of Smith-Johnson Realty (2003-2007); general manager of Community of Pine Island Ridge (1996 -2006); senior budget analyst for Broward County School Board Budget Office (1984-1996)

Janette Smith
Lawyer and Davie resident; city clerk in Oakland Park since March 2007.

Daniel Stallone
Lawyer and Davie resident; Davie code compliance official since July 1999.

Two from Broward among mayors heading to D.C. to strategize against proposed House budget cuts

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 21, 2011 09:04 AM

A bipartisan delegation of 30 mayors is headed to the nation's capital this week to mobilize against cutting federal spending that aids cities.

Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper and Pembroke Pines Mayor Frank Ortis are part of the group that wants to head off proposed cuts -- the U.S. Conference of Mayors calls it "gutting" -- in the Community Development Block Grant program.

A statement from the Conference of Mayors described the gathering this way:

Mayors who serve in a leadership role of the organization will come together to craft a strategy to appeal to the U.S. Senate to restore funding in addition to mobilizing against the effort to effectively gut the Community Development Block Grant program, the most important federal investment to job creation and neighborhood revitalization in local communities.
Mayors will also discuss the drastic cuts proposed in the House including USCM priorities such as homeland security grants, workforce training grants, community health centers, education, high speed rail, public housing and much more.

County court system also faces red-light problems

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 21, 2011 09:00 AM

Red light cameras are not just proving nettlesome for Broward County’s cities, but also the court system.

All the cases in Broward had been assigned to County Judge Steven Deluca. But the number of cases is growing – up to about 50 a week.

Judge Robert Lee, who is in charge of the civil division of County Court, said he has now assigned a magistrate to hear the case. Defendants can still ask for a judge instead, and Lee said those cases would go to Deluca.

Lee said the problem is the amount of time that red-light cases consume. Normally, 80 traffic citation cases can be handled in two hours. However, because of the need to review video and photos, an average of 50 red-light cases can be heard in a two-hour docket.

Lee estimates that by July, the court system could be handling as many as 450 red-light cases a week. That will prompt further evaluation of how they’re handled, he said.

When the Legislature allowed traffic cameras to catch red-light runners, it divided the ticket money between the state and the local government but did not set any aside to deal with court costs.

Broward has been hard-pressed because cuts in state court funding in recent years led to a substantial reduction in the number of hearing officers it has.

Broward legislator chairs state capital cases commission

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 21, 2011 08:37 AM

State Rep. Jim Waldman, D-Coconut Creek, is the new chairman of Florida’s Commission on Capital Cases.

Commission members review administration of death penalty cases, examine legal counsel people get in capital cases and makes recommendations to the governor, Legislature and Florida Supreme Court.

The panel includes two district court judges, one Republican and one Democratic senator, and one Republican and one Democratic representative. Waldman became the Democratic representative member last year, and became chairman at its February meeting.

Broward County still fighting to defend term limits

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 21, 2011 07:51 AM

The term limits voters approved for Broward County commissioners are still in question, but the county continues to fight in court to defend them.

Last November, a local judge threw out the term limits, deeming them unconstitutional. As a side note, the judge was Carol-Lisa Phillips, wife of Fort Lauderdale term-limited Mayor Jim Naugle. Of course this decision wouldn't impact him in the least, and he never was impacted by these, because they apply only to county commissioners.

Local attorney Bill Scherer had sued to get rid of the term limits, a move that would preserve the continued county political career of his friend, Commissioner John Rodstrom, his not-friend, Ilene Lieberman, and commissioners Kristin Jacobs and Sue Gunzburger. Of those, Gunzburger has already said she's not running again anyway.

The term limit was for a 12-year, three term limit.

On a side note, Commissioner Stacy Ritter is in her first full term; her first appearance in the dais was via special election to carry out a partial term. She said Friday that she intends to run again.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 18, 2011 05:34 PM

The options: closure of branches, a system-wide shut-down an additional day a week, reduction in hours on open days, and a cut in services at the libraries.

“The reality of the county’s financial situation makes it imperative that [Broward County libraries] follows through with one or more of these actions,’’ consultant MGT of America concluded.

The report also recommends more staff cuts, and an increased reliance on self-check-out for library patrons.

Providing and operating 37 libraries across Broward is one of the county’s core services – one of the handful of things county government provides to all residents. But Broward commissioners have had to cut back library services over the past four years, including closing libraries on Sundays. Sunday library hours were among the most popular, but proved expensive because the county gave its library employees double-pay.

The report provides a framework for commissioners to make cuts when they create a new budget this summer. A hint at which libraries could be considered for closure or cutbacks lies in a “performance’’ ranking done by the consultant. At the bottom of the list: small branches serving the immediate communities around them.

Libraries like one on the Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale – ranked near the bottom by the consultant -- have passionate supporters. Also near the bottom: the Hollywood Beach Bernice P. Oster Branch, the Beach Branch in Pompano Beach, the Lauderhill Mall Branch, the Alvin Sherman Library at Nova Southeastern University and the Tyrone Bryant Branch in northwest Fort Lauderdale. The rankings consider library cost, usage and promixity to other libraries, among other factors.

Commissioners haven’t said what cuts they’ll consider, and library staff told the consultant they’d prefer across-the-board cuts in hours to any closures.

The Galt Ocean Reading Center in Fort Lauderdale has been threatened with closure so many times, a non-profit organization grew up to deal with the annual battle. Friday morning at the small reading room, located in a strip shopping center on the mile-stretch of beachfront condos in Fort Lauderdale, retirees waited to use six busy computers, while others checked out books.
Retiree Marie Gerler, an Illinois snowbird, left the Galt reading room Friday morning with a stack of books – three hardbacks she’ll read this week, and three audio books on CD for her husband, who cannot see. Every week she goes to return the books and get more.

If the branch were to close, she’d be lost, she said. Even a reduction in the hours, she said, would be “terrible.’’

Broward County Administrator Bertha Henry said the county “definitely’’ won’t be able to maintain the current hours in the library system. She also said re-opening some libraries on Sundays should be considered.

Even before they’d seen the report, commissioners talked of gearing the system in a “regional’’ direction.

“Do we have too many libraries for the size of our county?'' Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca posed to fellow commissioners at a recent goal-setting workshop.

Commissioner Lois Wexler suggested the county soon consider asking the cities to operate the smaller branches. She cited the city of Plantation as one that runs a small city library, but also has a large regional county library in its borders.

The idea would face considerable backlash. Mayor Sue Gunzurger said the “theory is wonderful'' but most of the cities “are in worst financial shape than the county.'' “They may want it and can't afford it.''

“And we can?'' shot back Wexler.

Gunzburger suggested volunteers could be recruited to work in the small libraries, “to fill in some of the gaps,'' instead of government employees.

“I realize they're not as reliable as people who are getting the salaries, but I know it can work if people have a real need for it in the community, and you know what? There's something good about getting up and having a place to go and work.''

Complicating the county’s job in looking for cuts is the fact that Broward is still completing a library-building campaign voters agreed to increase taxes for 12 years ago. New libraries are under construction in Dania Beach and Lauderhill to replace branches in leased space, a replacement library will be built in Pompano Beach, and a new children’s reading room is under construction in Davie. A new branch in Sunrise is on hold.

“This is extraordinarily good news.... This is a great vote for American taxpayers, and even more so for unborn Americans," said Jerry Newcombe, host of The Coral Ridge Hour television program.

“This does not stop Planned Parenthood from killing children in the womb. It only seeks to ensure that taxpayers are not forced to pay to keep the lights on while they do," Newcombe said in a statement.

Coral Ridge Ministries, founded by the late Rev. D. James Kennedy, has for years been a proponent of conservative politics, especially related to social issues. It’s opposed abortion, gay marriage, teaching of evolution and abortion.

Sunday morning alcohol sales begin this weekend in Lauderdale

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 18, 2011 03:42 PM

Anyone interested in having a mimosa or blood mary with Sunday brunch before noon can head out to bars and restaurants for the first time this weekend.

Mayor Jack Seiler signed an ordinance Friday that loosens longstanding restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales. Under the law, businesses can begin serving alcohol as early as 7 a.m. rather than wait until noon.

Restaurants and bars along Las Olas Boulevard and the beach are readying for the change. They had told city officials that they frequently had to turn down requests on Sundays from residents and tourists to order a cocktail with brunch.

The Sunday hours for alcohol sales now are the same as the rest of the week. The later hours are a product of blue laws that historically restricted commerce on Sundays to protect it as a day of worship.

Liquor stores and grocery stores still are not allowed to sell until noon.

This library on the Galt Ocean Mile in Fort Lauderdale did not rate very high on the tabulation the consultant did to help Broward officials target branches for cuts to hours or whatever other cuts might be considered. However, previous hints of closing this branch brought out a very passionate response from the retirees who use it.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 18, 2011 11:54 AM

At Wednesday's tri-County Commission meeting in Broward County this week, commissioners from all three counties chatted about issues and problems they have in common. They talked about pension reform, beach renourisment, transportation funding, "pill mill" pain clinics, pre-trial release court programs, the governor's budget, etcetera.

I'm bringing you some of the quotable quotes from the meeting, rather than a transcript of a couple hours of policy talk. As an aside: Broward Commissioner Ilene Lieberman was present, and she spoke in the meeting -- the first time she's done so in many, many, many months. (Unless she did so Tuesday at the county attorney candidate interviews -- I missed that one.)

"I’m computer illiterate. I see Kristin over here with something that looks like a dark blackboard.''
-- Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson, suggesting a publicity campaign against pain clinics include Facebook and Twitter outreach"It's magic.''
-- Broward Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, responding to Aaronson by waving her hand over her iPad.

"We can’t talk to one another. It's great -- it’s like a totalitarian state.''
- Palm Beach County Commissioner (and former state legislator) Shelley Vana, talking about state Sunshine Law prohibitions

To raise money, Democrats bring in talent and Republicans turn to local stars

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 18, 2011 09:22 AM

The Democrats are going some distance to get some humor with their inspiration. The Republicans are staying closer to home.

The two Broward political parties hold their big annual fundraisers on back-to-back nights early next month.

Republicans are featuring Gov. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, for their March 4 Lincoln Day dinner, named in honor of the country’s greatest president.

Lincoln isn’t getting all the glory, though. The event will also feature “a tribute to Ronald Reagan.”

Also on the bill as a “special guest” is Sharon Day of Fort Lauderdale. She’s Broward County’s state Republican committeewoman and Florida’s national Republican committeewoman, but she now enjoys a prominent new role: co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, which is the national party’s second in command.

Democrats gather the next night for a dinner keynoted by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

The Democratic “Unity Dinner” used to be called the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, or J-J, but those names were dropped a couple of years ago because both Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s third president, and Andrew Jackson, the seventh, owned slaves. And Jackson favored the forced relocation of Indians to areas west of the Mississippi River.

The parties use the proceeds to pay for their operating expenses. Each party has a paid staffer. Dems also pay rent, which Republicans get as an in-kind contribution from Republican businessman Robert Bernstein.

They also have utility bills, phone bills, internet bills and assorted other expenses. (Example: a payment of $15.90 on one of the Democratic Party’s disclosure reports. The money went to Bradford Pest Control for “office expenses.”)

During the last election cycle, from Jan. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2010, the Democrats took in $242,847, according to reports on file with the Supervisor of Elections Office. The local party spent $228,991 during that time.

The Republicans took in $114,909 during the same time plus $8,125 of in-kind contributions. The party spent $121,040.
Tickets for both events cost about the same – at least on the low end. No word as to whose rubber chicken will be better.

Democratic general admission tickets are $150. The VIP reception costs an extra $125. The event is at the Marriott Coral Springs Hotel, Golf Club and Convention Center, 11775 Heron Bay Blvd., Coral Springs.

Democrats have two sponsorship levels, the diamond level at $2,500 and the gold at $2,000, which come with tickets to the dinner, the VIP reception, and a full-page ad in the dinner program.

The Republican are offering a range of sponsorship opportunities, starting with the Lincoln level (includes eight VIP tickets, photo with keynote speakers, seating at a table with a keynote speaker, prominent display of company or name, and advertising on the party’s website) for $10,000.

The party has four other categories, with varying numbers of tickets and preferred seating based on cost.

Fort Lauderdale's 100 sign to remain through big March 27 party

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 18, 2011 09:00 AM

The 100 sign celebrating Fort Lauderdale’s centennial will remain up on the beach at least through the official anniversary on March 27.

The sign was set to come down March 1 when the city lease on it was set to run out. But Mayor Jack Seiler said Thursday that the city has made arrangements with contractors to keep the sign in place through the March 27 party that will take place downtown along Las Olas Riverwalk.

The city and beach leaders must decide whether to pay to keep the sign up after that point. The sign is designed to withstand high wind so it is capable of remaining up during hurricane season, officials have said.

A question remains on whether the sign can be illuminated much longer. Sea turtle nesting season is approaching, and officials are checking to see when the lights on the sign would have to be dimmed or turned off.

The 100 sign was illuminated at the end of November, launching the centennial ceremonies.

Allen West: see the congressman on video, in person

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 18, 2011 08:51 AM

Update, Friday afternoon:

In a letter e-mailed to constituents Friday afternoon, Congressman Allen West sounds pretty peeved at stands from the other end of the political spectrum.

Examples:

Speaking about the Democrats during the House budget debate, "I am appalled at their arrogance, belligerence, and dishonest rhetoric filled with empty emotional platitudes. Have they no shame in realizing that their inept, incompetent failures are the reason why we are debating this continuing resolution?...

Also troubling are the events in the state of Wisconsin which mirror those that happened in Greece several months ago. We are witnessing the abject hostility of a unionized entitlement class that is being lauded by the liberal left, seemingly to include our President.

It is such a critical time for our Republic, yet there seems no visionary leadership - it is as if America stopped producing adults. I have never seen a greater assembly of petulance and sophomoric behavior as what I have witnessed this week during debate on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Original posting:

U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, was the keynote speaker at the big annual confab of conservatives over the weekend in Saturday.

West demonstrated his usual rhetorical skills, and used some familiar passages to those who’ve heard him speak before.

Here’s a video of the speech.

Below, on the continuation, the schedule of West's February town hall meetings with constituents.

Also below, West described the CPAC speech experience in his weekly e-newsletter.

I wrapped up Friday by developing my first draft of the CPAC speech and sent it to my two closest confidants, my Chief of Staff Jonathan Blyth and Joyce Kaufman....based upon their review and insights, I knew we would have a winner.

Saturday morning, I arose at 7:00 am and had a nice 8 mile run through DC and around the entire Washington Mall. Running along the symbols of America's national character just gives you a certain sense of what it means to be a citizen of this great Country. It also provides me the clear opportunity to visualize the coming event, the CPAC keynote speech. I got back to the "Batcave", made some written notes for the speech, washed clothes, showered, dressed, and headed to the office.

I made my final changes to the speech, did three read throughs, and at 2:00 pm we departed for CPAC. I attended my first CPAC in 2008 and walked through the conference trying to get anyone to recognize me and our Congressional race . In 2009, I did not attend CPAC and in 2010, I was given the final 15 minute speech slot before the keynote which was Glenn Beck. Now, here I was, a brand new United States Representative about to deliver the closing speech to the largest gathering of Conservatives in America.

The response to my walking the halls was completely different from 2008 and 2010. The Palm Beach Post followed me around along with the Washington bureau of the Sun-Sentinel. We did several interviews, to include Geraldo Riviera, and we hit ABC News, Fox, PJTV, Newsmax, and Bloggers row (now that was a blast, an impromptu press session). At 5:00 pm, we headed to the "green room" and sat awaiting our turn, kind of like the Gladiator awaiting to enter the arena, as you hear the cheers and roar of the crowd. Then came the moment, Congressman West, we are ready. You say that final prayer, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to thee o Lord my God." You stand there at the end of the stairs and listen to outgoing American Conservative Union Chairman David Keene introduce you......and then he says your name and looks over. The first step is always the hardest, then you look upon a crowd of 3,000...game on.

For people who want to see him in person, here are his February town hall meetings:
Broward: E. Pat Larkins Community Center, 520 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Pompano Beach; 7 to 9 p.m. Monday.

Dania residents appear to give up, ready to be bought out by county before runway is built

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 18, 2011 07:22 AM

Dania Beach homeowners who bought near Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport knew they would have to endure airplane noise. As you'll see in this clip, small planes fly over on a regular basis. (This woman, Dana Fairbank, lives in a condo in the Treasure Cove area, the higher end of homes affected by the impending south runway construction and opening.)

But they can't stomach the thought of adding commercial jets to the mix. Now that they see the runway coming soon, they're sending a new signal to the county. They're giving up fighting the runway and are ready to be bought out immediately so they can move. A formal poll is being conducted so Broward County airport officials will know if that's the prevailing opinion, and if so, they can figure out what to do next.

My full story is on the jump page.

Here's my full story:

Dania Beach homeowners who’ve fought for more than 30 years to protect their neighborhoods from airport expansion are sending a surprising signal to the county:

They give up. They’re ready to move out.

What had always been a discussion and a debate suddenly became a reality to them: a new runway is going to be built next to them. The small prop planes and little executive jets whose sounds they accepted would be replaced by roaring commercial jetliners. Broward County’s plans for Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport would finally come to pass.

One by one they told the director of the airport at a meeting last week that the neighborhoods their tiny city spent more than $1 million defending cannot be saved. They said they want Broward County to buy their homes at a fair price, and, some suggested, tear them down. Living next to a major runway that will rise six stories into the air is not an existence anyone will want, they said.

“It’s impossible to live there.’’ “This was a formula for blight.’’ “No one will buy my home.’’ “It’s going to be a slum area.’’

A confounded Kent George, director of the airport, asked for a show of hands: Who wants to move right now? In the crowd of about 120, two-thirds of the hands shot up. George said the airport will immediately poll the approximately 4,500 residents most impacted by the planned runway, and decide if a dramatic shift in direction is needed. The airport’s plan all along was to keep the neighborhood intact so homeowners could stay.

After the community meeting, George shook his head, saying that Dania for years “fought hard’’ to “maintain the integrity of the neighborhoods.’’ Now, he said, “it appears they want everything purchased and to tear it down. … I have never in the programs I’ve done been confronted with this before.’’

Dania’s homeowners held on to hope for years that the planned $791 million runway would never be built. But the runway has a ground-breaking date later this year. The legal battle Dania spent $1.3 million waging is winding down.

And airport officials are no longer debating where to build a new runway – they’re talking about how they’ll buffer the noise of the roaring jets that will impact Dania neighborhoods, and how they’ll help people sell their homes if some want to leave.

“I never thought that this was going to happen,’’ homeowner Otto Blanco said at the meeting. “They’ve been fighting for 30 years.’’

He held up his cell phone to show a photo, explaining “this is why I bought my house.’’

From the photo, his young son smiled brightly from a small motorboat in the water outside the family’s Davis Isles home. Many of the affected residents enjoy the lifestyle of fancy Las Olas Isles’ posh waterfront, but with Dania Beach prices. The canals give them ocean access, coveted in Broward. The sounds of the small general aviation runway next to them are bearable, they say.

But homeowners said that with low-flying jets roaring directly over their homes, or close by, their time outdoors would be miserable.

Broward’s airport has Federal Aviation Administration and County Commission approval to extend a runway on the airport’s south side to accommodate commercial jets that right now land on the main runway on the airport’s north side. The expected 2014 opening of the runway is expected to reduce delays for travelers, allowing jets to land and take off on a sloped surface that rises to 64.5 feet over U.S. 1. Dania Beach homeowners to the south and west of it will absorb the brunt of the new noise.

Aviation Director George had come to last week’s Melaleuca Gardens Homeowner Association meeting to present his proposal to soothe the runway’s noise impacts.

He sat stone-faced at the meeting, taking a beating from each speaker. One warned him he’d face a “day of reckoning.’’ Another chided that the Bible says “Thou shalt not steal.’’

Anton and Commissioner Anne Castro have been the faces of Dania airport opposition for years. Anton said he’ll move away if Broward compensates him fairly for his house. Castro, who bought her house in 1988, said she’s moving, too, to Portland or Seattle, when her son leaves for college.

The FAA would likely pay 80 percent towards helping Broward buy the affected homes, according to county records, at a county airport cost of $35 million, but George was not proposing that.

Rather, he proposes three things: soundproofing about 1,706 homes, slowly helping 857 owners who want to sell, and buying nearby mobile home parks.

No home-selling help would be offered, though, until a year after a home is soundproofed. The county would help only 22 homes at a time, starting with the loudest areas, to avoid flooding the real estate market. When a home sells, the county would pay some if not all of the difference if the sales price is lower than market value. The county also picks up closing costs.

The $116 million soundproofing program, $56 million purchase assistance program and $64 million mobile home park acquisition would be paid for with airport-related funds – not property taxes.

Residents figured it could be years before some get the county’s help. And some residents would never get it.

A red, curved line on a map shows the homes Broward deems will suffer noise 65 decibels and higher. Some homes outside that line will get noise insulation, but only the 65-plus homes would get help selling homes and making up for the reduced property value from the new jet runway.

Donna Eades said her home is marked 64 decibels. Her next door neighbor’s is marked 65.

“You have to take our homes,’’ Eades urged. “You have to condemn the whole area.’’

Broward commissioners were expected to vote on George’s plan March 8, but the apparent turnabout in public opinion will push that back at least a week.

Dana Fairbank, who bought her Treasure Cove townhouse in 2003, said she knows Dania’s near-airport owners get little sympathy from the public. People say they should have known it would be loud living next to an airport. On her patio, small planes flew over occasionally as she spoke. Those who bought in Dania accepted the sounds of the small planes, and considered it a tradeoff for the ocean access at relatively low prices.

But Fairbank and other buyers said they weren’t told about the new south runway and its large commercial jet traffic, when they bought. After all, it’s been talked about for years, but wasn’t given final county approval until 2005 and is still the subject of litigation. Others knew about it but didn’t believe I would happen.

Fairbank agreed it’s time to move beyond the “yelling and screaming stage’’ attempting to stop the runway, and focus instead on brokering a better deal with Broward for their homes.

“I know we’re going to take a hit on this,’’ she said. “... I’m willing to give some for the community good. I’m not willing to be totally screwed.’’

February 17, 2011

Chalifour transcript bizarre moment for ex-Commissioner Eggelletion

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 17, 2011 08:22 PM

Broward airport runway foe Brenda Chalifour sent her lawyer up to a certain prison in Georgia to depose one of the characters in her legal case: former Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion. She settled her case against Broward and the sheriff's office for arresting her at a runway hearing.

Here's the bizarre beginning to the statement her lawyer got from Eggelletion, now in prison on public corruption charges (the numbered lines are standard for sworn statements):

JOSEPHUS EGGELLETION, JR.,
4 having been produced and first duly sworn,
5 testified as follows:
6 EXAMINATION
7 BY MR. TASEFF:
8 Q Can you tell us your name for the record,
9 please?
10 A Josephus Eggelletion, Jr.
11 Q Mr. Eggelletion, where do you currently
12 reside?
13 A I reside in Unit A2, Bed 202, Federal
14 Satellite Low, Jesup, Georgia.
15 Q In what capacity do you reside in the federal
16 prison in Jesup, Georgia?
17 A I'm an inmate in prison.

County's hottest controversy boiling over in Dania

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 17, 2011 11:57 AM

Our readers have been seeing it in the headlines for 30 years: the fight of Dania Beach homeowners against Broward County's desires to add a second "main runway'' to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. The south runway right now is used for general aviation, meaning small airplanes. When it's extended, it will be open to commercial jetliners.

On the jump page, I offer you a newspaper clip from 1987. Reading it, you might feel you're in a time warp, so much of what's in it has not changed and is still being fought over now. But back then, the county was talking about buying the affected homes. That's no longer on the table. There was also talk in the past of compensating residents for the noise they'd endure when outdoors. That also is not on the table.

In this clip, a Dania Beach homeowner wonders what the county will do for her. The county's plans to help homeowners sell their homes and make up for the expected drop in property values only will aid those hit with 65 decibel noise, and higher. Her home is marked as 64 decibels; her next door neighbor's is 65.

"We are going to be devastated,'' Donna Eades told the aviation director, Kent George, at a community meeting in Dania Beach City Hall last week.

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport should not be expanded before government agencies buy out the hundreds of homeowners who will be affected by increased noise, residents said at a hearing on Thursday.

Airport officials, real estate appraisers and the consultants planning the expansion answered questions at South Broward High School about the $200 million program to lessen noise and buy homes west and south of the airport.

The hearing was the final public forum on the program before the county applies for money to finance it from the Federal Aviation Administration, said Ron Gardner, a spokesman for the Broward County aviation department.

Residents said they worried the FAA would opt not to pay for the program; meanwhile, extension of the south runway to accommodate scheduled commercial flights, in addition to smaller airplanes that currently use it, would proceed on schedule.

``Let me give you a scenario. The south runway`s ready for commercial traffic. The homes aren`t bought. Would you use the runway?`` asked Jay Field, president of Communities Against Runway Expansion.

``If the runway is built it will be used,`` said Ray Lubmomski, director of planning and engineering for the county`s aviation department.

Lubmomski later said he felt confident the FAA would finance the proposed noise relief program, which offers different forms of compensation for noise to about 2,800 residents.

Lubmomski said the FAA probably would not have the money to begin buying out most of the homes for 15 years. The south runway extension is expected by 1997, he said.

``I want my property purchased before they build any runways. This is really putting the cart before the horse,`` said Carol Myer, who lives in a home proposed for buyout.

Myer`s home in the Edgewood neighborhood north of the airport, and homes west of the airport between Griffin Road and the Dania Cutoff Canal, would be purchased if the owners could not sell them. This type of buyout, called purchase assurance, does not offer homeowners moving expenses, appraiser Dick Colon said.

Residents in other areas where homes are designated to be acquired, primarily north of the Dania Cutoff Canal to Southwest 32nd Street, would receive money for their closing costs and moving expenses, he said.

Homes just west of the airport`s north runway, where the worst noise levels have been recorded, would be bought first with $63 million in county money. The county expects to be reimbursed by the federal government if the FAA finances the program.

The county currently is selecting an appraiser to begin the buyout of those homes in June, Lubmomski said.

Except for residents in areas designated for purchase assurance, if a resident`s home is appraised at $72,000, and it costs the resident $80,000 to buy a similar replacement home, the resident would be compensated the difference, Colon said.

Her attorney, Ray Taseff, said that's "consistent with the position we've taken all along that the culpable party for the suppression of Brenda's speech and the illegal arrest were Mayor Eggelletion and the entire Broward Commission who sat silent while the Mayor unlawfully prevented her from speaking against the airport expansion and ordered the sheriff deputies to arrest her.''

He said BSO deputies were in an "impossible situation'' having to carry out the order of then-mayor Eggelletion (now prison inmate Eggelletion).

The deputies "treated Brenda with dignity and Brenda has a high regard for the sheriff and the difficult work the deputies do,'' he said.

Timeline set for Fort Lauderdale manager search

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 17, 2011 09:00 AM

The search for Fort Lauderdale’s next city manager will come to a head over the next three months.

Under the timetable laid out by the headhunting firm handling the search, all applications must be in by March 15. In April, the field of candidates will be narrowed by city commissioners and a citizens advisory board.

The final decision should come in May.

The City Commission is conducting a national search for a manager following George Gretsas’ departure last summer. Gretsas left in July after six years at the end of his contract and is now working in Homestead.

The headhunting firm Bob Murray & Associates sent the timeline for a decision to city officials this week.

Highlights include

• Preliminary Review of Resumes on March 17.
• Interviews by the headhunting firm with candidates on March 22-31.
• Recommendation of 10 to 12 candidates to the advisory panel on April 5 with the panel narrowing the field to 5 to 7.
• Interviews by the advisory panel on April 19.
• The City Commission discusses the candidates on April 26.
• The advisory panel recommends at least three candidates to the commission on April 28.
• The commission settles on at least three candidates based on the recommendations on April 29.
• The commission interviews candidates on May 10 and decides how to proceed. It would likely choose a candidate to make an offer to at that point.

Broward Democrats pick area leaders

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 17, 2011 07:50 AM

Broward Democrats have a (somewhat) new slate of leaders to help guide their party for the next two years.

The party divides the county into 13 zones, each with an area leader who facilitates work of precinct committeemen and committeewomen (who elect the leader for their own region).

The area leader also serves on the party’s management committee, along with the Democratic chairman, party officers, and a handful of appointed committee members who represent various constituent groups, such as Young Democrats, African Americans and gays.

Especially notable is the election of Randy Fleischer as an area leader. He’s been a consistent thorn in the side of Broward Democratic Chairman Mitch Ceasar.

That might end up working out fine for Ceaser, Fleischer and the party. It brings to mind former President Lyndon Johnson’s famous line about why he didn’t get rid of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Essentially, Johnson said, it was better to have Hoover inside the tent aiming his fire outside rather than have Hoover on the outside aiming his fire toward the tent.

February 16, 2011

Wasserman Schultz helps form new congressional E-Tech Caucus

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 16, 2011 05:02 PM

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, is the co-chairman of the new Congressional Caucus for Competitiveness in Entertainment Technology.

The new caucus, launched Wednesday, has given itself the catchier nickname E-Tech Caucus.

It was launched by members of congress and leaders from the computer and video game industry. The other co-chairman is U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas.

“The U.S. entertainment software industry is at the forefront of innovation and education, turning what we have thought about video games on its head,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “At the same time that our children are playing Wii Sports, academic researchers are developing games that explore protein folding, and doctors are using video game simulations to hone their skills. We owe it to our children to explore how these technologies can help America continue to lead the world in innovation.”

Parking solution on horizon for Las Olas merchants

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 16, 2011 01:57 PM

A fast, easy solution may be in the offing to concerns among Las Olas Boulevard merchants about parking in the shopping district.

During a workshop late last year, the merchants suggested they either wanted free on-street parking or the construction of a city garage. They said parking problems and tickets drive away customers.

The city has offered free parking during the holiday season on Las Olas, but city commissioners said this week that they were reluctant to extend free parking further because the revenue helps pay for other improvements in the neighborhood. They also were skeptical about a city garage because of the cost and the lack of a good site for it.

However, another solution arose. The Riverside Hotel has 517 spaces in its garage and is seldom more than 15 percent occupied.
People can park there and shop along the boulevard, but hotel managers said few do because of the lack of signage directing traffic to the garage. City officials now plan to try to add such signs.

Joni Coffey, government lawyer and wife of former U.S. attorney, will be offered top attorney job for Broward

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 16, 2011 10:43 AM

Broward County commissioners met Tuesday to interview candidates for county attorney. Broward Commissioner Stacy Ritter said they decided to offer the job to Joni Coffey, assistant county attorney in Miami-Dade and a Miami resident (and wife of former U.S. attorney and well-known South Floridian.)

County attorney Jeff Newton resigned last year, and assistant county attorney Drew Meyer has been holding the job since then. But he didn't apply for it permanently.

Broward commissioners had whittled a list of 42 candidates down to three recently: Coffey; Alejandro "Alex" Vilarello, a Davie resident and Gonzaga University law school graduate; and Angela Wallace, a deputy county attorney who lives in Plantation.

City wants to to make Las Olas more pedestrian friendly

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 16, 2011 09:00 AM

Fort Lauderdale wants to reduce the speed on Las Olas Boulevard and add more crosswalk signage along the busy and historic shopping district.

City commissioners agreed Tuesday with merchants who believe that the steps are important to make the street more pedestrian friendly following a spate of accidents last year. Both measures would require the approval of Broward County government.

Drivers pick up speed as they leave the main shopping area with its medians and crosswalks. Two pedestrians were hit by cars and killed in March, both just outside the main district.

Police stepped up traffic enforcement and issued 1,375 tickets last year compared to 764 in 2009 along Las Olas.

“We do need to do some things to change Las Olas because it is our signature street and a destination,” Mayor Jack Seiler said. “People always say they love Las Olas, and we need to stay ahead of that.”

The ideas grew out of a workshop that City Commissioner Romney Rogers had with Las Olas area merchants and residents last fall. The group also pushed for free on-street parking and a city-owned parking garage, but officials were more skeptical of those ideas.

The city wants fluorescent green pedestrian crosswalk signs mid-block along Las Olas, similar to signs along State Road A1A on the beach. They also want reflective tape to illuminate the crosswalks.

The county controls most of Las Olas and has told the city that with such marking goes against its standards.

The speed limit currently is 35 mph and the city wants the county to lower the speed.

Conservative blogger complains to state Republican Party over his treatment by Broward Republicans

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 16, 2011 08:59 AM

Updated at 10:24 a.m. and 11:44 a.m.

Javier Manjarres, who operates the conservative website Shark Tank, is complaining to the state Republican Party about rules implemented by Broward Republican Chairman Richard DeNapoli that prevent him from making video recordings of the county party’s monthly meetings.

DeNapoli, elected Broward chairman in December, announced the no-unauthorized-video recording rule in January. Manjarres, who travels to all sorts of political events with his video recorder and posts the result on his website, wasn’t happy about the edict.

This week, Manjarres filed a grievance with the Republican Party of Florida.

Manjarres, who also is an alternate committeeman of the Broward Republican Party, didn’t specify what he’d like the state party to do about DeNapoli other than to “deal with him accordingly.”

He said DeNapoli’s actions “have injured the name or status of the political party.”

DeNapoli said Manjarres' compliant has no merit.

"I consider it frivolous," he said. "The complaint itself contradicts your [the Sun Sentinel's written] version of the facts."

Trey Stapleton, spokesman for Florida Republican Party Chairman Dave Bitner, said the procedure is for the state chairman to review the complaint and decide if it warrants forwarding to a grievance committee.

National pundit gives plug to Ted Deutch, jab at Wasserman Schultz

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 16, 2011 08:04 AM

In his newest column for the political newspaper and website Roll Call, Washington political analyst Stuart Rothenberg identifies two Broward members of Congress as people to watch as the congressional Democrats move closer to requiring new leadership.

Rothenberg notes the ages of the Democratic leaders – Nancy Pelosi, 70; Steny Hoyer, 71, James Clyburn, 70 – and opines that “Since nobody (not even columnists) can go on forever, House Democrats have to be starting to think about their possible next generation of leaders. Younger Members of Congress will be increasingly impatient about the logjam at the top, and if Democrats are unable to win back the House this time, there is likely to be increasing pressure within the party’s Caucus for new leadership.”

After running through three key Democrats in their 50s, he moves down to Democrats in their 40s.

Good, though small, plug for U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, and not so good, though longer, mention of U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston.

“Other ambitious and able House Democrats ought to be on any list of potential players.

“Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, 44, is politically savvy and a frequent television guest, and she is one of the Democrats’ Chief Deputy Whips. She also serves as a Democratic National Committee vice chairwoman.

“But Wasserman Schultz’s ambition — she is sometimes accused of being a ‘title collector’ and was bitter when she was not selected by her party’s leader to chair the DCCC — has made her something of a polarizing figure….

“As far as freshmen, insiders finger Rep. Ted Deutch (Fla.), 44, and Rep. Gary Peters (Mich.), 52, as potential leadership material, though with the important caveat that redistricting could jeopardize Peters’ House career.”

Broward -- You can get anywhere in ... 20 minutes? 30 minutes? 45?

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 16, 2011 08:00 AM

A few years ago it might have seemed like an attainable goal for Broward County: "Go anywhere in 20 minutes.''

Broward County commissioners endorsed it in 2008, and embedded those hopes for drivers and commuters in a set of official goal statements.

This year, that line will be quietly replaced with this one: "Go anywhere in 30 minutes.'' The more realistic version appeared in a set of proposed re-writes when commissioners sat down to freshen up the official goals.

February 15, 2011

Sunday morning alcohol sales to start this weekend in Fort Lauderdale

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 15, 2011 07:56 PM

Bars and restaurants across the city can begin serving alcohol on Sunday mornings beginning this weekend.

City commissioners agreed Tuesday to loosen longstanding restrictions on Sunday alcohol sales. Under the old laws, no one could buy a mimosa or a blood mary to go with a morning brunch.

Restaurants, bars and hotels are now allowed to serve alcohol as early as 7 a.m. as they do the rest of the week rather than wait until noon. Liquor stores and grocery stores still are not allowed to sell until noon.

The later hours are a product of blue laws that historically restricted commerce on Sundays to protect it as a day of worship. But restaurateurs and bar owners pressed the city to change the law, which they said was an outdated restriction that no longer made sense in today’s tourism-based economy.

The law becomes official with Mayor Jack Seiler’s signature, which should occur by the end of the week.

Fort Lauderdale lays out plans for major beach overhaul

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 15, 2011 05:41 PM

A major revamp of Fort Lauderdale’s beachfront is set to get underway, including a bolder entrance at Las Olas Boulevard, a promenade along the Intracoastal Waterway and a new visitors center.

About $71 million will be committed to the work over the next eight years. Another $25 million would be saved to help developers rebuild the International Swimming Hall of Fame complex with new Olympic-size pools, an aquatic theater and state-of-the-art artificial surf machines.

City commissioners agreed in concept Tuesday to the beach overhaul – the final phase of a 30-year effort to end blight in the area. Officials said they chose projects that they believe will improve access to the beach, boost its appeal to tourists and offer more things for people to do when they visit the beach.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to finally implement a vision we have all had for the beach,” said Bradley Deckelbaum, a member of the city’s beach redevelopment board and a South Florida commercial developer.

The redevelopment plans would target improving the streetscape along State Road A1A and developing city-owned property on the barrier island.

The city parking lot south of Las Olas would be turned into a landscaped plaza and parking garage. The number of parking space would increase from 242 to as many as 400 and might include shops and restaurants on the first floor.

Along Las Olas east of the Intracoastal, a “Channel Square” plaza would be built with a visitors center, a water taxi stop, a transit hub and cafes. A 13-foot-wide, landscaped boardwalk would be created along the Intracoastal behind city parking off Las Olas to make the waterway more inviting to pedestrians and improve access for those who use the water taxi.

The sidewalks along A1A would be upgraded. Along the west side of the street, trees and streetlights would be relocated to widen the sidewalk. Concrete might be replaced with decorative pavers. On the eastside, officials want to explore building a bicycle and pedestrian path between the wave wall and the beach dunes.

Plans also include improving the plaza entrance at Las Olas and A1A, better signage along A1A, new streetscaping along Almond Avenue and an additional 500-plus parking spaces either at Sebastian Street or further north near Sunrise Boulevard.

Hurdles do exist. Some property is the subject of a court fight between the city and developers who wanted to build a condo high-rise called Palazzo Las Olas. Also, there must be state approvals and an investigation of whether any of the proposals harm sea turtle nesting.

The city is under pressure to move quickly.

Fort Lauderdale and county designated the beach as blighted in 1989, a move that allowed the city to take all city and county property tax revenue paid by businesses and residents in the area and spend it on beach improvement work. That deal ends in 2019.

The city is sitting on $27 million in cash saved from property taxes paid by businesses and residents in its central beach area and can borrow the rest from future taxes and parking fees. With Tuesday’s go-ahead, more specific plans will be drawn up along with costs and construction timeframes.

“We need to get started and proceed aggressively,” said Jordana Jarjura, a beach redevelopment board member and Fort Lauderdale attorney.

Developers behind the Swimming Hall of Fame project wanted the city to sit aside $25 million in aid. When the city tentatively approved the Hall of Fame upgrade last year, officials thought they may have to finance as much as $52.5 million of the $71 million cost, but the developers said they expect to be able to raise the rest of the money from sponsors, other governments and private investment.

Broward cost-cutting committee also denied access to consultant's review of library system

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 15, 2011 02:43 PM

Broward's Management and Efficiency Committee is taking a hard look at the libraries and parks.

But the committee has gotten nowhere in its efforts to obtain the report a private consultant was paid to produce for Broward, about the libraries.

That sounds familiar. Read below the Sun Sentinel's experience trying to get this report.

The cost-cutting committee is required by the county charter, and takes a deep look at ways to conduct county government at lower cost and higher efficiency. The committee is an interesting mix of elected officials and local businesspeople. It does its work only once in a great while -- every six years. A charter change approved by voters in November extended this to once every 10 years, to save money. A final report for the latest effort is due this summer.

On the jump page are the latest e-mails this committee sent to the county administration asking for the report, which it has yet to receive.

Herb
We recently received correspondence from Ms Eichner regarding the release of the Parks and Libraries studies. As you know we sent you a copy of the Parks study yesterday. Please let Ms Eichner know that the consultant is making some final changes to the Libraries study and it will be released to the Board and the MESC shortly.
Thanks
Pete

Allen West catches some flak for supporting Patriot Act provisions

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 15, 2011 12:46 PM

U.S. Rep. Allen West’s vote in favor of renewing three controversial provisions of the Patriot Act earned him some criticism from constituents – but no apology from the congressman.

The three provisions drew criticism from civil libertarians on both the right and left ends of the political spectrum – and split votes from South Florida members of Congress. Renewal was defeated last week in the House but approved on Monday.

West, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, voted “yes” both times.

Here’s what he said in his weekly e-mail newsletter to constituents:

“I voted YES for these extensions and many of you called me a traitor and felt that I had turned my back on your 1st and 4th Constitutional rights.

"A law-abiding United States citizen has nothing to fear from me and my vote. However, I shall NOT ALLOW the enemies of our State to find gaps in which they will exploit our misplaced benevolence. There is a simple reason why radical Islamic terrorists and their supporters are successful in infiltrating Western nations. They take our founding premise of liberty and turn it against us. I say, NOT ON MY WATCH.

“I can assure you that I will not allow this enemy any quarter, and shall uphold my commitment to our Constitution and all of you.”

Republicans and Democrats from Florida were on both sides of the issue, which involved the so-called library provision, roving wiretap provision, and the lone wolf provision. Details here.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 15, 2011 11:30 AM

UPDATED on the jump page with talk from county commissioners in January about cutting library costs
It's been at least six months since Broward County asked a consultant to look at the library system and come back with some answers.

The county wanted an outside pair of eyes to look at the library system and recommend changes. Should some library branches reduce hours? Should any branch close, or consolidate with another?

Because of the advent of electronic books, and the changing habits of readers, the question is continually raised: Do we still need publicly subsidized libraries, and if so, how much should we spend on them, and how should they be run?

But Broward Libraries Director Bob Cannon hasn't released the consultant's report, after months and months and months of requests for it from the Sun Sentinel. I'm posting all the e-mail correspondence on the jump page, for your amusement. To be fair, I told Cannon I'd wait. Time and again. I was nice about it, as you'll see.

This week, when I requested the draft once and for all, Cannon responded today to say the county administrator wanted to talk to me about it. Lo and behold, she's in a staff goal-setting session for the entire day. I asked her and Cannon for comment on the county's stalling on this report. Stay tuned for the answer.

Meanwhile, one of these reviews was also done for the parks department, and the department head, Dan West, immediately emailed it over to me.

Hi guys! I have to do a little rewriting of the libraries story I’ve been putting together. One thing I need is more info on the consultant report that’s under way. How much are they being paid and for what? Even if you told me which agenda it was on – or a ballpark idea of that -- I could look it up and see for myself?
thanks@!
bw

Hi there.
I’d like a copy of the DRAFT report from the consultant, re the libraries.
I want to take a look at what’s in writing now. it came up briefly again at Thursday’s workshop, as you probably know.
Thanks!

Bertha Henry and I met last week to go over the latest draft. For clarity, we think the text and corresponding exhibits could be more closely linked in two or three areas, so I called the consultant, talked to him, sent the report back to him last Friday to respond to our needs, clean it up, re-page if necessary, check the table of contents and exhibit numbering and then send it back to me I hope this week.
____________________________________

From: Wallman, Brittany [BWallman@sun-sentinel.com]
Sent: Monday, February 07, 2011 9:27 PM
To: Cannon, Robert
Subject: Re: from brittany / sun sentinel
Oh my gosh this is takng foreverrrrrr! If I got the first version and the one coming last will I see subtantive changes?
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

No changes of content or recommendations; but we feel the flow and organization can be smoother. Soon ...

From: Wallman, Brittany [BWallman@sun-sentinel.com]
Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 5:09 PM
To: Cannon, Robert
Subject: libraries report
Hey, I’m ready for the libraries report. I have the parks one, as you know. will read it tonight. I need the libraries one tomorrow. I don’t care if it’s draft or not. whatever.
Can I pick it up somewhere? I’ll pay for every page you copy!
Please! I beg of you!
Well we both know it’s been public record since last fall.
I trust it’s in decent enough shape for me to get the gist at this point.
Thanks – lemme know, ok?
And happy valentine’s day.

Good morning, Brittany,
Bertha Henry would like to talk to you about this. Please contact her,

Thanks.
________________________________________

At a January 20 Broward County Commission goal-setting workshop, commissioners talked about the costs of running the libraries. That's the most recent discussion that directly pertains to what the consultant was supposed to look at.

Commissioner Lois Wexler said the county "at some point'' has to discuss the library system, including the closures on Sundays in place now to save money.

"Shouldn't there always be libraries open on Sunday, somewhere in Broward County? There are. There's one. That's not regional, in my definition.''

She said she's looking for a regional system. Then she mentioned some really small county libraries.

"I think, and at the appropriate time, I'm going to ask you all ... to make a determination regarding reading rooms, regarding libraries that are small, and ask ourselves, do we want to operate them? ... Or do we want to work in conjunction with the cities, and ask them to do it.''

She cited the city of Plantation as one that runs a small city library, but also has a large regional library.

Mayor Sue Gunzurger said the "theory is wonderful'' but most of the cities "are in worst financial shape than the county.'' "They may want it and can't afford it.''

"And we can?'' shot back Wexler.

Gunzburger suggested volunteers could be recruited to work in the small libraries, "to fill in some of the gaps,'' instead of government employees.

"I realize they're not as reliable as people who are getting the salaries, but I know it can work if people have a real need for it in the community, and you know what? There's something good about getting up and having a place to go and work.''

County administrator Bertha Henry then referenced the libraries report the county is withtholding, saying it doesn't address staffing with volunteers but does "talk about other ways to manage some of those services that are provided at the libraries.''

Broward Commissioner Chip LaMarca threw out this question: "We have 37 librarieis. Do we have too many libraries for the size of our county?''

LeMieux, who lives in Lighthouse Point and is the Fort Lauderdale-based board chairman of the Gunster law firm, is a former chairman of the Broward Republican Party. In that sense, his lending his name to a Fadgen fundraiser isn’t surprising.

Broward Republicans have been looking to help Fadgen win the seat being given up by retiring Mayor Rae Carol Armstrong, a Democrat. The other candidates are Diane Veltri Bendekovic, a Democrat, and R. Warren Meddoff, a Green Party member.

LeMieux, like legions of politicians, wants to do favors for Republicans as he assesses whether to run for the 2012 Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

Broward Democratic Chairman Mitch Ceasar, a 30 year Plantation resident, said he doesn’t like the idea of such an outside force coming in to the supposedly nonpartisan mayoral race.

“I think it is an inappropriate attempt to nationalize local, nonpartisan elections as if this is still November, 2010. I can’t recall the last time that outside political figures were brought in to local city elections,” Ceasar said.

Broward Republican Chairman Richard DeNapoli said it’s the Democrats who have made the race partisan.

“Senator LeMieux has known Jerry Fadgen for over 10 years and I presume he wants to help a friend and not make this a partisan event. I recall that the Democratic Executive Committee made this race partisan by passing out a sheet with all the candidates' party affiliations,” DeNapoli said via e-mail.

If Ceasar considers LeMieux’ fundraising help inappropriate, DeNapoli asked, “then what about Plantation Council candidate Eric Hammond's $500 contribution (on 1/10/2011) from the Millenium Leadership PAC, which is affiliated with Congressman Alcee Hastings and gave over $16,000 to Democrats in federal races for 2010, including $1000 to Charlie Rangel. Eric Hammond was on the sheet with the party affiliations handed out by the [Democratic Party] labeled as a Democrat. Does he consider that "an inappropriate attempt" by an "outside" force? Probably a lot of donors from outside of Plantation for that PAC.”

Broward commish will sit down with counterparts in Dade, Palm

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 15, 2011 08:00 AM

A county commissioner-fest will be held in Broward County this week, with the elected County commission politicians from all three South Florida counties.

Broward's County Commission is hosting it -- it's going to be held here, anyway, at the IFGA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum in Dania Beach.

Also, Mayor Sue Gunzburger gets to talk first.

The Tri-County Commission as they're calling it meets Wednesday, starting at 1:30 p.m. If there's something you've always wanted to tell the politicians in South Florida, this might be an efficient way to do so. Of note, though: There is no place on the meeting agenda for "public input.''

Find out the top issues for the three counties, for this meeting, on the jump, if you're interested.

The leaders of the three counties will talk about state legislative issues, and then federal issues.

On the state end of things: governor's budget recommendations, pension reform in the state pension system, pain management clinics, pretrial release, and juvenile justice billing.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 14, 2011 12:12 PM

The vote Broward commissioners will make soon on how to handle the affected homeowners in the noise path of the $791 million soon-to-be constructed new runway will feature some of this and much, much, much more, I'm sure. The issue's been roiling around the County Commission for years, as the political hot button that never goes away.

The woman in this short clip above broke down as she told George that she has arthritis and doesn't run her air conditioning sometimes, because of it. One of the elements George is offering as soundproofing for the homes near the planned runway expansion is new air conditioning.

"What are you going to do for me? What are you going to do for others who have problems such as this?'' the weeping woman asked.

She topped off her speech telling George that the Bible says "Thou shalt not steal.''

Self-described entertainer, visionary isn’t an ordinary candidate

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 14, 2011 09:15 AM

Micelli, who goes by T.J., is a retired Florida Lottery employee who also describes himself as an author, visionary and entertainer. He likes to show off a picture of him with the late singer and dancer Sammy Davis Jr.

It’s not clear exactly what he stands for as a candidate.

When he ran for commission before, in 2005 and 2006, Micelli said he ran on a platform with ideas. Even though he didn’t get elected, he said those who won took and implemented all his ideas.

And he’s not going to make that mistake again. “What I say is, you want my ideas, vote for me and I’ll show you some ideas,” he said. “I want to take the town and bring it into the 21st Century because it’s antiquated.”

Pressed on two of the big recent issues in the town – beach renourishment and upgrading the aging water plant – Micelli didn’t offer any thoughts. “If you’re going to ask me technical questions, you’re going to get stupid answers and silly answers.”

You can see Micelli opine on these topics and others in the video below. He was due to participate in a panel discussion with other candidates last week at the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board.

He arrived 40 minutes late for the 45-minute session, at first apologizing. Later he said he preferred not appearing with fellow candidates.

“I don’t like any of the commissioners. Any of them. I don’t like any of them. I’ll tell you that right now. If they’re all sitting here I’d tell every one to their face. I don’t like any one of them. You know why? They’re all for me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me,” he said. “I’m glad I was late. I don’t want to sit with these guys.”

Below, on the continuation, videos of the two groups of Hillsboro candidates.

The first video starts with Dan Dodge on the far right, Albert Gabrielle sitting in the middle, and Javier Garcia at the left.

The second video starts with Richard Maggiore on the far right, Claire Schubert in the middle, and Joseph Germano at the left.

February 12, 2011

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 12, 2011 05:13 PM

Only three times in the past 50 City Commission meetings has someone other than a Protestant or a Catholic delivered the opening prayer.

The last time a Muslim gave the invocation was January 2006. No Buddhist or Hindu has done so in a decade. Rabbis have been called on seven times in those 10 years, less than the number of appearances by the staff of either Calvary Chapel or First Presbyterian Church.

Commissioners are drawing fire for a lack of diversity. Critics said those who provide the blessing at the start of the meeting should reflect the multicultural nature of Fort Lauderdale.

“Political leaders need to be the first to acknowledge we are a diverse society, not the last,” said Unitarian-Universalist pastor Gail Tapscott, who has given the invocation once. “This raises the whole issue of how we deal with religion and politics in the country. We are majority Christian, but we need to honor our diversity.”

Mayor Jack Seiler said any religious leader can sign up to give the invocation as long as they are willing to follow city guidelines such as using inclusive terms and not preaching. The person is chosen on a rotating basis from the list, he said.

The list currently contains about 80 names, overwhelmingly from Christian churches.

February 11, 2011

Absentee votes, recount change winner in state House race

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 11, 2011 06:09 PM

After all the absentee ballots were counted a state-ordered machine recount was completed, Barbara Watson was the winner Friday in a special primary to elect a new member of the Florida House of Representatives.

Sharon Pritchett, who was the leader Tuesday evening, narrowly lost.

Watson had 1,759 votes, or 41.7 percent of the vote. Pritchett had 1,741 votes, or 41.2 percent. The third candidate, Erhabor Ighodaro had 723 votes, or 17.1 percent.

Watson will represent part of Miramar, where about 15 percent of the 103rd state House District’s voters live. The rest are in Miami-Dade County.

The three candidates were competing to fill the 103rd District seat opened by the resignation of state Rep. Oscar Braynon II. He had to resign his House seat to qualify as a candidate for the Florida Senate seat left vacant by Frederica Wilson's election to Congress. He won that special election Tuesday in a district that includes only Miami-Dade County voters.

Last dog on Broward's death row released Friday

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 11, 2011 05:19 PM

This media crush outside a car in Coconut Creek is part of the latest installment in Broward's "Dog Death Row'' saga. Details to come. Inside the car: the newly released "prisoner'' Mercedes the pit bull.

More pictures and the full story on the jump page.

The final dog sitting on Broward County canine “death row’’ was released to her owners Friday, the first taste of freedom the pit bull has experienced in two years.

Mercedes, who got loose in Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park neighborhood and killed a family’s pet cat, was sentenced to die by Broward County animal control. The county had passed a zero tolerance dangerous dog law in 2008, allowing for euthanasia of a dog after one serious attack on a domestic animal.

The county recently reversed the controversial law, but Mercedes remained jailed while her owners awaited a court decision in their lawsuit against the county. That came this week, when the 4th District Court of Appeals deemed Broward’s dangerous dog law unconstitutional because it conflicted with state law.

Mercedes’ owners said they wanted the ruling – even though Broward had already retreated from its original law -- so that no other city or county would copy what Broward had done.
Friday afternoon at VCA Animal Hospital in Coconut Creek, Mercedes jumped in the car of her owners, 31-year-old Brian Hoesch, and his god-father, 66-year-old Ken Sladkin, to head to Tampa, where they will live.

Asked if Mercedes was his dog, Sladkin answered: “Well, we’re her humans.’’

“Come on, sweetheart!’’ he yelled to her as she pulled on the leash toward the car.

Sladkin paid $22,000 to board Mercedes for the two years he fought for her life. His legal fees have yet to be calculated.

Sladkin's attorney, Jason Wandner, said he kept the case alive to save the lives of any other dogs in Florida that have might been subjected to a law like Broward's. Also suing Broward in the case was Jan Michael Morris, for the South Florida Siberian Husky Rescue.

Sladkin said he rescued Mercedes from a neighbor in Tampa who kept her locked in a cage at all times. Later, Hoesch moved to Fort Lauderdale’s Victoria Park neighborhood with the dog and, one day, someone left the fence open, and Mercedes ran out.

Sladkin said she found an older cat named Slugger, with no claws to defend itself.

The dog has a “hunt instinct,’’ Sladkin said, and cannot safely be around cats or small pets.

“And she’s wonderful with humans,’’ he said. “When she used to escape from the cage, where would she go? We’d find her at the elementary school playing with the kids.’’

Slugger’s owners were devasted about the loss of the pet they’d had for 10 years, writing to county commissioners to ask that Mercedes, who they said “had the taste for blood,’’ never was given the opportunity to attack again. A witness said Slugger was sleeping in a car port when Mercedes pounced.

Mercedes is not one of the dogs the community in Broward rallied around to get the dangerous
dog law repealed. Those were not pit bulls. But as a pit bull, she is representative of the vast majority of Broward’s cases of dogs killing other people’s pets since the dog law passed.
State law prohibits breed-specific dog laws.

Broward’s generic dog law allowed the county to declare a dog dangerous and euthanize it after one serious attack or kill of a domestic animal. The county put 56 dogs to sleep under the law. Broward’s new law tracks state law closely, requiring two attacks on a domestic pet before a dog is declared dangerous, and then requiring a third attack, or failure to abide by the restrictions of the dangerous dog designation, before euthanasia.
Mercedes will start fresh, with no dangerous dog designation.

Broward’s Fair Campaign Practices Committee shuts its doors

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 11, 2011 09:23 AM

Faced with twin revolutions in communications technology and the way campaigns are operated, Broward’s Fair Campaign Practices Committee is going out of business.

The organization “has reached the point of extinction,” said the founding chairman, Roy Rogers. “I’ve connected with each member, and they all feel the same way I do. It’s regretful.”

The organization was founded in 2000 in reaction to a 1998 Florida Senate contest between Steve Geller and Ellyn Bogdanoff, widely considered one of the sleaziest ever run in Broward.

Over the years it angered both Democrats and Republicans – and received support from both Geller, who came up with the idea of the committee and invited the original participants, and Bogdanoff. (Geller went on to become Senate minority leader before he was forced from office by term limits and Bogdanof went on to serve in the Florida House leadership and now serves in the state Senate.)

The volunteer panel acted as a neutral arbiter of sleazy attacks and other unsavory campaigning acting. The campaign practices committee would formally serve complaints on the accused violators and hold formal hearings.

While it didn’t have the legal authority to do anything to anyone, a finding that a candidate acted improperly produced negative publicity for those who committed campaign misdeeds.

Now, Rogers said, so much of the worst part of campaigning stems from shadowy groups that are supposedly independent of the campaigns. Other nasty campaigning can occur through anonymous e-mail efforts or YouTube videos.

In all those situations, it’s exceedingly difficult or impossible to figure out who’s responsible – which mean there’s no way to ask the perpetrator for a defense.

“There’s so much that has happened since we were initiated,” Rogers said. “The world has changed.”

Rogers said he concluded last year that the organization’s time had probably passed when it didn’t receive any complaints.

He said the County Commission primary in which Geller attempted to defeat Commissioner Sue Gunzburger was one of the nastiest races ever seen in Broward, but no one asked the committee to look into any of what was going on.

“This last, vicious campaign – when we should have been having complaints and hearings – we never received a complaint,” Rogers said. “It was about as negative as you get.”

Rogers said the decision has been made, though the organizations webpage hasn’t yet been taken down. “I’m looking for what might be a formal way to dissolve the group.”

Besides Rogers, an environmentalist and planning consultant who helped develop Weston when he was vice president for government relations and planning for Arvida/JMB Partners, the organization’s members came from such organizations as the Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters, Broward Alliance, Broward Bar Association, Kids Voting Broward, as well as religious, Hispanic and Caribbean community leaders.

Rogers, who is also chairman of the Florida Ethics Commission and prodded the Broward County to improve its ethics standards, said the public wants clean government and good campaigns.

“People are so interested in this subject, they gobble it up. The subject of ethics is way up there in peoples’ interest,” he said.

Decision looms on spending spree to makeover of Fort Lauderdale beach

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 11, 2011 09:00 AM

Fort Lauderdale officials are headed toward a decision on how to spend $63 million on a makeover of the beach.

City commissioners are scheduled to take up the topic at their meeting Tuesday. They began discussing last fall how to spend the money in order to ensure the beach remains a major tourist destination.

The expansion and remodeling of the International Swimming Hall of Fame is one possible target for aid. Other possibilities include a fishing pier, a more impressive entrance to the beach, more public parking and a wider promenade along State Road A1A.

The city is sitting on $27 million in cash saved from property taxes paid by businesses and residents in its central beach area and can borrow the rest based on taxes that it expects to collect over the next eight years.

Fort Lauderdale has been plowing tax money into redeveloping the beach since it broke away from the Spring Break era two decades ago. Tax dollars were spent to demolish the old Holiday Inn at Las Olas and A1A was demolished and turn it into a beach parking lot. The city also built marine facilities and a children's park, added some public restrooms and re-landscaped key parts of A1A and Las Olas.

The city and county designated the beach as blighted in 1989, a move that allowed the city to take all city and county property tax revenue paid by businesses and residents in the area and spend it on beach improvement work. But the deal with Broward County government to earmark property tax revenue for beach redevelopment ends in 2019.

Parkland's Moskowitz: Money talks

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 11, 2011 08:00 AM

Here's a new and improved version of my video of Parkland Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, son of lawyer-lobbyist Mike Moskowitz, telling the cream of the crop in Broward's high schools that money is of paramount importance to those who wish to become important to politicians. (The previously posted video curiously lacked sound. Sorry about that.)

He told them how he made himself important by helping raise money for Sen. Hillary Clinton.

He also said he wrote a speech introducing former President Clinton and "he liked the speech so much that he took the speech and went to Texas and basically read my speech in Texas at a bunch of fund-raisers and public events.''

Moskowitz was Broward's youngest elected official when first voted into office at age 25, five years ago.

Her guest next week is none other than Earl Maucker, the Sun Sentinel's former executive editor, now a Lighthouse Point city commissioner. Their topic is "the state of the media and its relationship with elected officials.''

Seiler questions governor's move to back off pill mill law

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 10, 2011 01:47 PM

With South Florida awash in pain clinics, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler was among those left disconcerted this week by Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to back off a law that would crack down on the abuse of prescription pain medicine.

Fort Lauderdale recently extended its ban on new pain management clinics for another six months as Tallahassee continued to waffle on what to do. Seiler said he plans to write the governor complaining about his decision on the pill mill law and will reach out to the governor’s staff as well.

“I was disappointed,” Seiler said in an interview. “It was like there wasn’t a significant understanding of how important this is to citizens of Florida. I would have never expected that we would be going backwards when everyone understands the urgency.”

Seiler noted police chiefs and sheriffs across the state have said there is a crisis in regard to rogue pain management clinics. He said Scott has come into office at the end of the push for state legislation and is now virtually wanting to start from scratch.

Scott proposed abolishing a long-awaited computer database that would track every Florida prescription for narcotic drugs. That was to be the state's main weapon against pill mills.

The database was set to start Dec. 1 but is stalled by a protest from an unsuccessful bidder. Scott’s office has said he did not think the database was a function best performed by government.

Scott's proposal stunned legislators, law enforcement officials and others who have been waiting anxiously for two years for a tool that 42 other states use to track the illegal distribution of narcotic drugs from pain clinics.

The law would require doctors and pharmacies to log every prescription for controlled substances. They and police could then check the database to see if a patient has received multiple, excessive prescriptions of narcotic drugs from multiple sources, a common practice among addicts and drug dealers who amass large quantities of drugs from rogue pain clinics.

Fort Lauderdale city commissioners imposed the moratorium on new clinics a year ago as a stopgap until the Legislature acted.

Officials say pill mills - concentrated in Broward and Palm Beach counties - are the biggest single source of narcotic pills such as oxycodone that claim an estimated seven lives a day in Florida through overdoses. Many blame the proliferation of pill mills on Florida's lack of a database.

Former Broward state attorney Shailer joins inspector general committee

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 10, 2011 12:49 PM

With a looming deadline to selected Broward's first-ever anti-public-corruption watchdog, the committee that will make that selection met on Wednesday and added another member.

This time it's former Broward County State Attorney Phil Shailer.

That board now has four members, and needs one more. That is expected to happen at the next meeting, on Tuesday, Feb 15.

The inspector general this committee is going to select will spend his or her existence looking for violations of the new Broward County Code of Ethics that applies to the nine county commissioners and soon to all elected officials and government employees, as well as government contractors, in Broward.

Elected chairman of the tiny committee was Sam Goren, counsel for the Broward League of Cities. Also on the committee: Timothy Donnelly from the Broward State Attorney's office, and a substitute for appointee Anthony Alfieri, an ethics professor at the University of Miami.

Since nothing with this committee has gone about smoothly, Alfieri, a professor of law at the University of Miami, who was appointed by Broward Public Defender Howard
Finkelstein when he refused to serve, passed his appointment on to a colleague, UM ethics professor Jan Jacobowitz.

Goren, who recounted this news to me Thursday, said the committee was told they have a March deadline -- with no penalty if they miss it -- to select an inspector general. The search firm apparently has 55 or 60 applicants already.

Allen West gets prominent, coveted speaking role as keynoter at CPAC

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 10, 2011 11:29 AM

U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, has gotten one of the conservative world’s starring roles: keynote speaker at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference.

CPAC, as it’s known in the political world, is the premier annual gathering of activists, leaders and policymakers on the right end of the political spectrum, and the speaking slot will give West wide attention in the movement and in the media.

“It is an honor to address my fellow conservatives at CPAC, and incredibly humbling to have the opportunity to do so as the keynote speaker,” West said in a statement.

“At a time when Republicans have recently regained the leadership in the United States House of Representatives, it is crucial that we not forget the principles of conservatism – effective and efficient constitutional government, free market/free enterprise solutions, less taxation and regulatory burden, and peace through strength and traditional American values. I look forward to reaffirming these fundamental pillars of American exceptionalism at CPAC.”

The conference runs Thursday through Saturday in Washington. West’s address is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. It will be streamed live – click here for the website – on the Internet.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 10, 2011 11:19 AM

Some of Broward County's most passionate enemies blasted aviation director Kent George on Wednesday night at Dania Beach City Hall.

George took the beating stone-faced, looking each homeowner in the eye. Here's a video from the meeting. It was held for the Melaleuca Gardens homeowners, who will be impacted by the noise of roaring jets when the new runway is built nearby very soon. George presented his proposed plan to soundproof homes and slowly help homeowners sell, starting when the runway is built. The County Commission still has to vote on this nettlesome issue, some time in March.

This guy, Ted Testerman, referred to George as "dude'' in telling him to "get a life'' and change his [mild expletive] plan to help residents sell their homes.

Some said the airport plans were not disclosed to them when they purchased. Here's just one example from a real estate website, where nothing is said about the airport. This blurb does said it's close to the beach, though.

Melaleuca Gardens in Dania features ranch-style homes that range in size from 978 to 2,042 square feet and 3 to 3 bedrooms. These Dania homes for sale include amenities such as spacious interiors, wooden kitchen cabinets, large patios, and some with pools. Melaleuca Gardens is located not too far from the beach and the homes start at just $289,900.

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 10, 2011 10:52 AM

Brenda Snipes said Thursday she plans to run for a third full term as Broward County’s supervisor of elections.

“It’s something that I really enjoy doing,” she said. “I talked to my family and they know I am a person who really needs something to do so they gave me their support.”

She’s 68, but said she’s “very healthy and energetic” and doesn’t see any reason why she wouldn’t serve a full term if re-elected.

Snipes said her agency has made major strides since she took office in 2003. During her first big election, in 2004, the computer network failed on the first day of early voting. Since then, she said she’s seen “an increased level of confidence in the voters in our ability to do a good job.”

A former school principal and area supervisor for the Broward School District, Snipes was appointed to the job by then Gov. Jeb Bush in 2003 after he removed then-Supervisor Miriam Oliphant following a series of elections problems and charges of administrative missteps.

Snipes said she expects opposition – which she had during her successful 2008 and 2004 campaigns – but doesn’t know who it might be. She said it’s always challenging to have to run for re-election simultaneously with running the biggest election every four years, the presidential contest.

Cops in peanut butter caper had long list of commendations

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 10, 2011 09:00 AM

The four Police Department employees disciplined in the “peanut butter” incident had more than 70 commendations between them.

Police Chief Frank Adderley has fired an investigator and suspended three other employees without pay in what apparently was a case of workplace high jinks run amok. An internal affairs review concluded the four had let a dog lick from a peanut jar in their office and then left it for co-workers to eat as well allowed co-workers to be secretly recorded.

Crime Scene Investigator Stacy Jenkins is to be fired after serving a 20-day suspension without pay. A five-year employee, she had received two department commendations and one public commendation.

Jenkins is portrayed in the investigative report as at the center of the controversy. It said she brought her pet dog “Jack” to work on Jan. 30, 2010, and was the one who planted the digital recorder.

The probe said Sgt. Kimberly Hancock, Detective Kerri Hagerty and Public Safety Aide Julia Horn were aware Jenkins’ dog licked the peanut butter and aware she hid the recorder but did nothing. Hancock received a 10-day suspension without pay, while Hagerty and Horn received three-day suspensions.

Horn, a 10-year employee, has seven commendations from supervisors and another 14 from the public. Hancock, a 12-year employee, has 36 commendations: 15 from the department and 21 from the public. Hagerty, a six-year employee, has eight agency commendations and four public commendations.

Among Hagerty’s commendations was helping prevent a suicide in 2007. She also received an officer of the month honor in 2006 for chasing a man waving a rifle from his car window.

Fraternal Order of Police leader Jack Lokeinsky said the union represents Hancock and Hagerty and plans to appeal Adderley’s disciplinary decisions.

Little known candidate hopes to win Republican U.S. Senate nomination

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 10, 2011 08:14 AM

Mike McCalister isn't going to be discouraged by a little thing like getting just 10.1 percent of the vote the last time he was on the ballot.

Instead, he's encouraged -- and is off and running for the 2012 Republican nomination for U.S. Senate.

McCalister isn't exactly a familiar face to Florida voters. But he was the third candidate on the August 2010 primary ballot in the slugfest between then-Attorney General Bill McCollum and now-Gov. Rick Scott.

The two shredded each other during that primary campaign, and many people think that McCalister got his 130,991 votes because voters were looking for anyone other than the frontrunners.

McCalister disputes that analysis, as you'll see in the brief video interview below, done after he visited the Broward Republican Party last week.

Some much bigger names are in the race or thinking about it: State Senate President Mike Haridopolos, former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner.

February 9, 2011

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 9, 2011 02:49 PM

Staff Writer Tonya Alanez reports from Tallahassee:

Seeking a permanent ban on oil drilling in state waters, former Gov. Charlie Crist and former Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink joined hands with state lawmakers and environmentalists in the state capital Wednesday to urge Floridians to get involved.
They are calling for a constitutional ban on oil exploration and drilling in state waters within 10 miles of the coastline.
“We stand here today united as public servants with one clear message: Save our Florida beaches,” said Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, who helped organize the announcement on the steps of the Old Capitol.
Crist said the issue is crucial to Florida’s environmental and economic health.
“It has to be in the hands of the people to make this happen. If you don’t, nobody will,” Crist said. “It is important not only to protect the beach, but it is important to protect…tourism.”
Sink said 85 million visitors come to Florida each year, funneling $65 billion into Florida’s economy annually.State Rep. Joe Gibbons, D-Hallandale Beach, at the microphone. Gov Charlie Crist, center

“The risk of an oil spill close to our beaches is something we cannot afford,” said Sink, who lost a tight race for governor to Scott.
Referring to the catastrophic BP oil spill last March, Sink said: “We saw just last year, accidents can happen. There’s human error.”
If passed by lawmakers, House Joint Resolution 383 would go onto the 2012 ballot for voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to permanently declare Florida an oil-free state.
Crist, who lost the U.S. Senate race to Marco Rubio, has touted such a drilling ban before. Hoping to put a ban on the November 2010 ballot, he called the Legislature into special session on the matter. But lawmakers dismissed his proposal and adjourned the session in a matter of hours.
Rep. Rick Kriseman, D-St. Petersburg, who filed the new resolution said: “It’s not a good idea. It’s terrible idea andn it makes no sense…Put an end to this oil-drilling debate once and for all.”
For more information visit: www.sosbs.org or www.saveourfloridabeaches.net
On a grass-roots level, there is movement to place a drilling ban on the 2012 ballot, according to the House Democratic office.

Recount possible in exceedingly close, low turnout special election

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 9, 2011 12:59 PM

Updated at 1:51 p.m and 4:32 p.m.:

After a day of counting absentee ballots, Sharon Pritchett’s narrow victory over Barbara Watson in a special primary to elect a new member of the Florida House of Representatives shifted and Watson was holding a narrow lead.

The contest could easily end up in a recount.

Late Wednesday, websites for the supervisors of elections in Broward and Miami-Dade counties showed Pritchett with 1,741 votes and Watson with 1761. The third candidate, Erhabor Ighodaro, trailed with 723 votes.

The top two candidates are separated by 20 votes. Pritchett has 41.2 percent of the vote to Watson’s 41.6 percent.

If those percentages stand after counting of any remaining absentee ballots and provisional ballots – cast by people who show up at the polls without a proper ID or who face some other question about their eligibility – an automatic recount would be conducted.

If the candidates are separated by 0.5 percent or less then the ballots are recounted by machine. If it’s 0.25 percent or less the ballots are recounted by hand, said Mary Cooney, director of public services at the Broward Supervisor of Elections Office.

Broward’s results were finalized Tuesday night because there weren’t any provisional ballots.

Broward represents just 15 percent of the voters – about 12,000 Miramar residents – in the 103rd state House District. The majority of the voters live in Miami-Dade County.

The Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections holds off on counting absentee ballots received on Election Day until the day after to make sure it doesn't count a vote from someone who also cast a ballot at the polls.

The counting of those ballots shifted the race from favoring Pritchett by 14 votes to favoring Watson by 20.

And provisional ballots won't be processed until 5 p.m. Thursday under state law.

So it's impossible to know for sure if there will be a recount.

The state Canvassing Board will convene Friday to make a determination, Cooney said. "We're still on standby to determine if there will be a recount."

The 103rd District is 75 percent Democratic, and all three candidates were Democrats. That meant the primary was open to any registered voter in the district. The winner will become the new representative, and there won't be a need for a special general election.

The special election filled a seat opened by the resignation of state Rep. Oscar Braynon II. He had to resign his House seat to qualify as a candidate for the Florida Senate seat left vacant by Frederica Wilson's election to Congress. He won that special election Tuesday in a district that includes only Miami-Dade County voters.

Opponents of Cardinal Gibbons' lights continue to press against night games

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 9, 2011 09:00 AM

Time is rapidly running out for opponents of nighttime games at the stadium at Cardinal Gibbons High School.

The opponents have written city commissioners to persuade them to reconsider the decision by the planning board to allow the use of lights installed three years ago. Under city code, the planning board’s decision becomes official Feb. 17 unless the commission takes up the matter.

The lights were installed as a result of bureaucratic screw-up at City Hall and remained unused during a protracted legal battle. The school spent $250,000 to install the four light poles - two of which are 65 feet high and two of which are 95 feet high.

School officials accepted a number of conditions limiting the lights’ use in order to win the planning board’s approval. Some neighbors, though, say night games will disturb their lives with noise and light

The commission usually gives great deference in such cases to the district representative – in this case, Bruce Roberts. Roberts, though, has said he won’t seek to re-consider the planning board decision.

Opponents have wrote the commissioners repeatedly since the planning board decision on Jan. 18. They contend the planning board ignored a variety of legal and may have allowed personal feelings to sway the vote.

Bob Prager, a member of the Coral Ridge Preservation Association, said the group will go to court if the commission doesn’t intervene.

“It would be so much quicker if the City Commission would call this up,” Prager said Tuesday. “It looks like it will end up in court, but I still hope not.”

Republicans start lining up to challenge Debbie Wasserman Schultz

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 9, 2011 08:43 AM

The primary is more than 18 months away and no one knows what South Florida’s congressional districts will look like next year, but Republicans are already starting to line up to challenge U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston.

James Gleason and Joe Goldner say they’re running in the August 2012 primary for the Republican nomination to run against Wasserman Schultz.

Neither has held elected office before, but but both have been active politically.

In his first foray as a candidate, Gleason won 45 percent of the vote last year for Coral Springs mayor. Commissioner Roy Gold won the mayor’s election with 55 percent of the vote.

Goldner is active in the tea party movement, and is leader of a group that stages a weekly protest in Sunrise. He’s never run for anything before.

Gleason said he is not part of the tea party movement. “You’ve never seen me demonstrating on a corner or anything like that.” He said he’s always been a Republican.

Before Goldner became a Republican, he said he was a Democrat, then an independent voter.

Wasserman Schultz, 44, is a formidable candidate for re-election. She’s prominent on the national stage, which gives her a broad fundraising base.

And she’s almost always racked up more than two-thirds of the vote in the 18 years she’s been in Congress and the state Legislature. Even in 2010, which was an abysmal year for Democrats, she garnered 60 percent of the vote in her Broward/Miami-Dade county district.

Goldner, 56, has lived in Florida since 1996. He’s a marketing and fundraising consultant.

Gleason, 46, has lived in South Florida since 2000. He owns a company, Smart Business Methods, which helps small and medium-sized companies find government contracts.

“I’m going to run against Debbie because Debbie Wasserman Schultz hasn’t told the truth .... She keeps saying the same old line about creating jobs, which she didn’t do,” Goldner said. He said the incumbent goes along with President Barack Obama too often.

“It’s about time to have someone in office that’s going to listen to the people and meet with the people and talk with them and listen to them. She says she does, but she doesn’t,” Goldner said.

“I am one of the people in the neighborhood. I know the people. I know what they want. I listen to the people in the neighborhood. I know what they’re interested in,” he said.

Gleason said he’s running “because I have watched over the years Congressional District 20 and I see that they’ve been underseved as far as the priorities on what the current congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is saying as priorities. The first should be priorities of constituents in the district…. From what I have seen and noticed is that they’ve been underserved.”

He criticized her vote in favor of the compromise tax cut legislation hammered out late last year between Republicans and Democrats because it contains a one-year, reduction in the employee share of Social Security taxes. He said that’s jeopardizing the Social Security system.

Gleason said he isn’t swayed by the fact that it was a compromise that received Republican support. “I believe that a congressperson should vote based on the priorities based on their constituents, not whether the other members of the party were voting for it or a deal between the Republicans and the Democrats. I don’t believe in those types of issues.”

Gleason lives outside the district, but its boundaries will change by next year’s elections to reflect population changes uncovered by the 2010 Census. He said he’s challenging Wasserman Schultz instead of the congressman where he lives – U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton – “because of the long track record that I believe that does not fit her constituents.”

The candidates said they’re starting to run now because they’re unknowns.

Goldner: “In order for me to win, I’m going to have to get my name out there because she is well known and I am not well known except in the tea party movement. So my job is to get my name out there.”

Gleason: “It’s going to be a very tough race. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has a lot of support. And I’m committed to do it and there’s no better time than now to get started because it’s a long race. And it takes a lot of time and a lot of money to get the name recognition and the support.”

Jenkins hid a digital recorder in the city's Crime Scene Investigation office to record conversations of day-shift workers. She told the other three on Jan. 30, 2010.

While the four chatted, they let Jenkins' pet dog eat from a peanut butter jar that belonged to another detective. Other officers testified that they ate from the jar for a week without knowing. Jenkins also told her colleagues that she previously let her dog urinate on a detective's desk.

Anti-airport activist Brenda Chalifour gets $20k county settlement

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 8, 2011 03:30 PM

Broward anti-airport activist Brenda Chalifour will collect $20,000 from the county, a small victory for the outspoken woman who was handcuffed and arrested at the podium at a crowded public hearing three and a half years ago.

Chalifour has been battling Broward’s plan to expand Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport for years, on behalf of Dania Beach residents who will bear the heaviest
burden when a runway is expanded to accommodate larger airplanes.

“Maybe they’ll think twice before treating people like crap when they go to address them,’’ Chalifour said after the vote Tuesday. “But that remains to be seen.’’

Chalifour said county attorneys came to her for settlement talks after her lawyer traveled to a prison in Atlanta in January to depose former Broward Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion, who is serving time for public corruption. Eggelletion presided over the meeting where Chalifour was arrested but “didn’t have a good answer’’ about why it happened, she said.

The county admitted no wrongdoing in the settlement.

Tuesday, Chalifour recounted in an interview the arrest that is forever on her record:

Chalifour had already spoken her piece that night, at Broward’s big airport runway hearing at the Broward County Convention Center in June 2007. She got up to speak again. This time, as an attorney and advocate, she was speaking for someone else.

“People began handing me money,’’ she said. “I made $22 bucks that night. I went back up and said ‘I’m being paid. Here’s my dollar.’ ’’

Eggelletion had had enough. He asked a Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy to remove her.

Handcuffs were slapped on Chalifour at the podium, she said, in front of hundres. She was escorted through the convention center to a patrol car. All the while she yelled, “What are the
charges?!’’

Chalifour was charged with trespassing, and said she “could not rest’’ unless she fought it. She saved money for a year and hired a lawyer. After six appearances in court, she finally saw her charge dismissed by Broward County Court Judge Mary Rudd Robinson.

Chalifour, who is still suing BSO, said Tuesday’s settlement just about covers her legal fees. She sued for false arrest and violation of her civil right against unreasonable seizure.

Her settlement was approved by county commissioners on an 8-0 vote. Commissioner Stacy Ritter didn’t vote, saying some might perceive a conflict of interest. Ritter and Chalifour have been scrapping for a long time, and Chalifour filed a successful election-related complaint against Ritter that is still pending.

The county approved the $791 million runway expansion and set a project-completion ribbon cutting date of Sept. 18, 2014. Chalifour is still fighting it.

In other action, Broward County commissioners Tuesday:
Gave a contract for design and construction management of the county’s planned 500-car courthouse parking garage project to Spillis Candela/Heely/Cartaya Joint Venture. The firm already had a contract to do planning work on a new courthouse, and this work adds $535,002 to the contract, making it $17.3 million. The original contract in 2005 was for $670,000. This was the sixth amendment to it. The garage will be used by judges and courthouse employees, and will be built next to the planned new courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale;

Agreed on a 7-2 vote to put out a request for letters of interest for developers who want to build the planned new Broward County courthouse, and the judge-employee parking garage that will serve it. Commissioner John Rodstrom and Chip LaMarca voted no. A planned garage for the public is proposed about a block away, and that contract went to Stiles Corp.

Were joined by Commissioner Ilene Lieberman, who has been largely absent for the past six months, often participating only by telephone. Lieberman did not speak during the three and a half hours commissioners met.

Parkland commissioner tells teens: Money is king in politics (surprise!)

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 8, 2011 10:51 AM

A large crowd of high schoolers from all over Broward County had their idealistic bubbles burst this morning at the Broward County Commission meeting. They were told the reality that everyone in politics already knows.

The truth that was passed on to them: It's not ideas that are key in politics -- it's money.

The teens are at Tuesday's County Commission meeting to get a look at how county government works. They're all part of Youth Leadership Broward, and are from 22 high schools around the county.

Broward Commissioner Ilene Lieberman shows up to meeting

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 8, 2011 10:16 AM

Broward County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman (to the left of the flag, with reddish hair) is present and accounted for at today's County Commission meeting. It's the first meeting she has attended in person, and not via telephone, in quite a long time.

She announced recently she had a health issue that has kept her from attending meetings for about the last six months.

Meanwhile, Commissioner Barbara Sharief is in Tallahassee lobbying state legislators on a health care issue, her expertise. She's participating by phone.

Politico puts Allen West on list of most vulnerable congressmen

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 8, 2011 10:03 AM

Freshman U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, is on Politico's list of 10 most vulnerable members of Congress.

"Even at this early stage, the top targets and most vulnerable members are becoming clear," the political news website reported Tuesday.

West ranks No. 4 on the list. Here's part of what Politico said about him:

"West, who holds a highly competitive district, has so far not been treading cautiously.... and has drawn notice for signaling that he would be armed at congressional events. In one instance, he refused to answer when asked whether he was packing heat. On the bright side: A favorite of the conservative grass roots, he can raise cash at the snap of a finger."

County Commission aide reappointed to Florida A&M board

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 8, 2011 08:33 AM

Torey Alston of Fort Lauderdale has been renominated to Florida A&M University Board of Trustees by Gov. Rick Scott.

Alston, 26, is chief of staff to Broward County Commissioner Barbara Sharief. His new term, subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate, began late last week and ends Jan. 6, 2015.

He’s a graduate of Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach and from June 2001 to June 2002 he served as the student representative to the Broward School Board.

He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida A&M. As a freshman and as a sophomore he was elected class president.

Before going to work for former County Commissioner Al Jones, Alston was executive director of the office of supplier diversity.

When he unsuccessfully sought the county commission appointment that ultimately went to Jones in 2009, he wrote in his application to then-Gov. Charlie Crist:

“I am a proud African American Young Republican. I believe that this appointment provides an ideal opportunity to not only bring anew and untainted perspective to the County Commission, but also to promote the progressiveness of the State Republican Party.”

Four Broward employees overcharged for mandatory furlough days

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 8, 2011 08:00 AM

Some Broward County employees not only complied with a mandatory five-day, unpaid furlough last year, they were charged for an extra, unpaid day.

The county's auditor, Evan Lukic, checked out compliance with the unpopular program and uncovered the over-charging to four employees. They were reimbursed after Lukic discovered they'd been docked pay for six days instead of five.

He only found one employee out of 4,675 who didn't live up to the five-day requirement, though.

Employees have to take another five days in the present budget year, to save the county $5 million. The next one is Monday, Feb. 21.

Mayor Sue Gunzburger started to tell the public at a recent meeting that all the county commissioners voluntarily took a five-day pay cut.

"I'd like to state so the public may know ...'' she said, "not only do our employees all take five furlough days, but the entire commission --.''

But she was interrupted by a colleague who corrected her.

"Not the entire commission?'' Gunzburger responded.

She went on: "Oh, well, most of -- I thought the entire commission also takes those furlough days and has to repay the cost after taxes rather than before so that we are not -- we would not ask our employees to do more than we are willing to do, and if people are not aware, at least I've made them aware today that this is the custom and practice of us to do the same as our employees.''

Commissioner Kristin Jacobs then clarified: "Just to make a point for the record for those who write about County Commission that the two commissioners are no longer on the dais.''

I checked afterwards to find out who hadn't taken the five-day pay cut. Lukic said Diana Wasserman Rubin and Al C. Jones were the two. But he noted that they both partially fulfilled the volunteer furlough.

Wasserman Rubin of course resigned to face public corruption charges, which she still faces. Jones served a partial term only, because he was appointed (as a Republican, then switched to Dem) by then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist, to carry out the term of Josephus Eggelletion, the now-jail-inmate then-commissioner who was suspended from office because of public corruption charges.

February 7, 2011

South Florida activist calls Gov. Rick Scott a 'tea party rock star'

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 7, 2011 12:43 PM

Gov. Rick Scott's decision to unveil his proposed state budget before a group of tea party activists rather than the usual Tallahassee rollout is receiving strong support from the chairman of the South Florida Tea Party.

"Governor Scott is a 'Tea Party Rock Star'today for attacking spending. Get ready Florida, Scott is going to lead us to record job growth," said Everett Wilkinson, who is also Florida State Coordinator for Tea Party Patriots.

Scott's actions are clearly the result of his acknowledgement of the great influence of the tea party and wanting to get support for deep budget cuts early on. Florida is facing a $3.5 budget shortfall from last year which is going to only increase the need for taxes or spending cuts.

Scott's plan of drastically cutting state's spending will be welcome by millions of Floridians that have had to cut their budgets.

Florida has one of the highest national unemployment and foreclosure rates in the country. Gov. Scott's plan of focusing on jobs by reducing taxes and creating an a long term positive environment for companies is not only the right thing to do, but will likely be followed by other governors as a model of for success....

All elected officials, including the governor, will continue to be constantly watched for leanings toward big government and pork. In addition to the proposed spending, the tea party will also be looking for Gov. Scott to make cuts in corporate subsidies such as sugar and citrus. The tea party believes that the government should not be aiding bad business. Subsidies are the corporate welfare that spawned the ideas of bailout and stimulus.

Tim Smith's blog: Hutchinson removed from job at Riverwalk Trust

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 7, 2011 12:05 PM

Former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner and mayoral candidate Cindi Hutchinson has been removed temporarily from her job at Riverwalk Trust, her former colleague Tim Smith is reporting.

From the back, you see ex-Commissioner Cindi
Hutchinson sitting with Steve Goldstrom (balding), at a
public hearing where then-City Manager George
Gretsas's job contract was at risk. Hutchinson was
a big Gretsas fan and helped get him hired.
(Photo courtesy of Cal Deal.)
Smith, a former commissioner and now a blogger, has this news here.

And he was just endorsed for the Senate seat by the Broward County Council of Professional Firefighters.

He could have sought a fourth term in the House, but that would have been his last because of term limits.

Kiar’s announcement, which also sets off a scramble among people who’d like to seek his House seat, comes when no one knows what the Senate or House districts will look like for next year’s elections. Before then, they’ll have to be redrawn to reflect population changes uncovered in the 2010 Census.

“It has been such a pleasure to serve our community in the Florida House of representatives since 2006 and it would truly be a great honor to continue fighting for our community in the Florida State Senate,” Kiar said.

“Our state is currently facing a number of difficult issues, such as high unemployment, a large state budgetary shortfall and an education system that is not properly funded. It is my great desire to serve the residents of our community in the State Senate so that I may tackle these difficult issues and work with both parties to improve the lives of the great residents of our community and state.”

West supports Fort Lauderdale ban on new pill mills

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 7, 2011 09:00 AM

U.S. Rep. Allen West is supporting Fort Lauderdale’s recent decision to extend its ban on new pain management clinics.

West’s statement comes after his first sitdown last week with Mayor Jack Seiler. Seiler said he had stressed to West, R-Plantation, the problems that the city has faced because of the abuse of prescription pain medicine and the state’s lack of action on the issue. Seiler has asked West to look into any federal help.

"After meeting with Mayor Seiler this week and discussing this disturbing issue in great detail, I want to make it clear that I will utilize any and all means I have at the congressional level to curb what has become a statewide epidemic," West said in his statement.

City commissioners extended the moratorium for another six months. They want to stop the illicit flow of narcotic pills from rogue pain clinics that are sometimes referred to as pill mills.

The city first imposed the moratorium a year ago and hoped it would be a stopgap until the Legislature acted, but officials have been mortified by delays in Tallahassee.

Broward County leads the nation in oxycodone sales and officials estimate seven Floridians die every day from prescription drug overdoses in large part because of pill mills.

"These kinds of pain management clinics prey on people and disguise themselves as legitimate businesses," West added in his statement. "It is my responsibility as a leader to protect the people of the district I serve. I will do this by supporting and encouraging policy that calls for the removal of these pill mills that have no place in our community."

Another porthole into Broward commissioner activities opens

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 7, 2011 08:00 AM

Broward County's new "open government'' initiative -- required under a new code of ethics -- gives the public unprecedented access to what happens behind the scenes in government, before decisions are made in public meetings.

Some might consider that a peek at the makings of sausage -- something no one should see if they want to be able to stomach the final product -- but a lot can be learned by looking through these portholes.

Search the largely AWOL Ilene Lieberman, and you'll see she reporting earning $0 at the law firm where she and her husband, Stuart Michelson, do business. She also campaigned for Judge Mary Rudd Robinson.

Search John Rodstrom, and you'll see he reported in January that he'd earned $220,000 from Sterne Agee, in the final quarter of 2010. In the quarter before that, he only reported earning $40,000 from that investment firm.

Some, like Commissioner Kristin Jacobs, reported no outside employment, and no fund-raising for others. Her campaign contribution reports are included on her link.

Lamberti said Friday that he and his son didn't see any of the game, except on televisions outside the stadium. He said the only time they entered the stadium was before the game, when they went to the law enforcement command station in the stands, and at half-time, to get something to eat (and he said he paid for it himself.) The sheriff said he was one of three co-commanders of the Super Bowl events, and had to be there, working.

"It was not a ticket,'' Lamberti said. "I was not sitting in a skybox with a bowl of popcorn.''

Among those upset about the sheriff's move is jail deputy/union rep Tony Olive, of the FOP-E, who represents about 2,300 members who work within Broward Sheriff's Office.

"He does whatever he wants,'' Olive said. " ... If there was a terrorist event like that movie 'Black Sunday,' what's the sheriff's focus going to be? ... He's going to be worried about his son, if something goes wrong. He's there on official business. it wasn't take your son to work day. Everybody's just mad about that.''

More of the sheriff's defense is on the jump page.

Nick Lamberti, now 16, "has a 4.4 GPA,'' the sheriff bragged about his son, a high schooler. He said after his son competed and was selected as Florida's one representative to the FBI's national Youth Leadership Program, he said something that was music to his dad's ears:

"He said, 'I think I want to be a law enforcement officer,'' Lamberti said. " ... It makes you feel good as a parent that your kid sees worth in what you do.''

Lamberti said he thought taking his son along would help give him a better idea what deputies do. He said they spent game time in command posts outside the stadium, and walking around outside the stadium.

"He doesn't care about the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints. ... If it's not the Miami Dolphins, he doesn't care.''

He also denied passing his son off as law enforcement to get him the passes. He said everyone knew his teen son was coming.

"There was no subterfuge,'' the sheriff said. "We didn't try to pass him off as a law enforcement officer.''

State law prohibits public officials from using their position for special private gain. A new Broward County law, not in place at the time, prohibits Lamberti from accepting any gift of any value from someone who contracts with his agency. Lamberti said he sees no dollar value in the access his son had, and doesn't consider it a gift like other Super Bowl events he disclosed.

February 4, 2011

State ends ethics case against Plantation mayoral candidate

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 4, 2011 03:31 PM

By Lisa J. Huriash
The state Commission on Ethics ended a case against Plantation Councilwoman Diane Veltri Bendekovic on Friday, when it voted there was no probable cause to show wrongdoing.

According to records released by the state, the complaint against her was based on "rumors."

“From the beginning there was never any substance, never any merit to it,” said Veltri Bendekovic, who is running for mayor in the March election.

The complaint was filed by mayoral candidate R. Warren Meddoff, who claimed Veltri Bendekovic misused her position in September to campaign in private areas of City Hall. It is illegal for an elected official to "attempt to use his or her official position ... to secure" benefits such as votes.

Meddoff told investigators he didn't see her commit any violations, but had received the information from city employees. Investigators spoke to those people, as well as other city employees, and all said they did not see Veltri Bendekovic campaign at City Hall, the records state.

Councilman Jerry Fadgen is the third candidate in the mayoral race.

Veltri Bendekovic said Friday she may try to recoup her attorneys fees.

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 4, 2011 02:58 PM

After Scott’s speech, I asked the governor what he discussed with the sheriff.

“What we talked about is just you know I’d come here for the funeral for the two Miami-Dade officers, and I went to the St. Pete and we lost a correctional officer up there so we talked about those funerals.

“And then just talked about you know, the state budget. What’s happening. He was just asking me because I’m coming out with the budget on Monday.

“What I try to do when I travel around the state is meet with sheriffs, local officials.”

My colleague Brittany Wallman asked Lamberti what they discussed.

Lamberti said he left pleased. He said Scott promised on the campaign trail to meet regularly with Florida’s sheriffs, and he said Friday he intends to carry through on it, including meeting with the sheriff in every county he visits.

“He feels the government was started for the purpose of public safety,’’ he said.

The governor asked him to voice his top issues, and Lamberti talked to him about pill mills and funding for crime labs.

“He was very, very receptive,’’ Lamberti said, after the one-one-one at the Diplomat.

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 4, 2011 01:19 PM

Gov. Rick Scott arrived in Hollywood on Friday ready to pitch Florida as an improving place to do business – only to learn that almost everyone at the Florida Venture Capital Conference was from the Sunshine State.

“I was hoping everyone was from out of state because I need over 700,000 people to move to the state,” he said, after asking people from Florida to raise their hands. His response was a reference to his campaign promise to create 700,000 jobs over seven years.

Scott pressed on with remarks heavy on themes from his campaign and first month in office: cutting government spending, cutting taxes, reducing regulation and improving the educational system.

He played up one of his earliest decisions, a freeze on all government regulations. “Probably everyone here in business loves more regulation,” a line that received a smattering of laughter.

Scott promised that “a lot of them [regulations under review] are never going to go into existence.”

He said his budget, which he’s unveiling Monday before a gathering of tea party activists away from the state capital, would include $5 billion of budget cuts – from a previous state spending level of $70 billion.

Bringing the state budget into balance would require more than $3.6 billion in reductions, he said, promising even greater reductions to come up with the money for tax cuts.

He said he’ll be able to get “$1 billion of savings from streamlining government.” He promised extensive agency consolidations, including the Department of Community Affairs, which he said he learned while on the campaign trail last year was “the agency that people dislike the most.”

“Why do we need state permitting when we have county permitting, when we have federal permitting?” he asked.

He said his focus on education involves measuring effectiveness of teachers, just the way businesspeople in the room measure the effectiveness of their employees. “It’s not how hard they work; it’s how effective they are.”

And he used the occasion to blast the federal health care overhaul passed by the previous Democratic Congress and President Barack Obama.

“Obamacare is the biggest job killer ever in the history of our country,” he said.

That was his most negative line. Otherwise, he presented an optimistic outlook to the business leaders.

“If you travel the state you can see the state’s getting busier again. I’m talking to people all over the country that are thinking of moving their offices here.

“We are going to be the winner. We are going to be the state that’s No. 1 in job creation,” he said.

The crowd of some 200 people at the lunch at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa was reserved. The conference brings together venture capitalists, investors, bankers, corporate executives, lawyers, accountants and entrepreneurs.

Scott received polite but not overwhelming applause, and there was soft laughter at a couple of jokes. (His suggestion that they limit their investments to Florida – “I hope you don’t’ invest in any place outside the state” – got a murmur.

John G. Igoe, a venture capital attorney with Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge in West Palm Beach and a former chairman of Florida Venture Forum, said the governor’s selling of Florida could help influence some businesses to locate in the state – though it might not attract venture capitalists from Silicon Valley.

“Luring people away from Silicon Valley is a tough task,” he said. “If companies are thinking about moving for other reasons, I think they would be open to the governor’s pitch.”

Igoe said part of Scott’s message was potentially a big plus. “I like what the governor had to say about his goals for attracting new business to Florida and for making life easier to conduct business in Florida.”

But, he said, “There’s a lot of other factors. You need to have excellent educational systems.”

A business thinking of moving to Florida wants to be sure that its employees’ children will have top-notch schools, and the state needs to produce people with college and post-graduate education to meet the businesses’ needs, Igoe said.

He said the governor’s message of lower taxes and lower spending could work against that. “In general that sounds terrific, but at what price? If you end up cutting the education budget then you end up shooting yourself in the foot as far as the other goals.”

Before Scott’s speech to the business group, which lasted about 14 minutes, he held a brief, closed-door meeting with Broward Sheriff Al Lamberti.

The governor said told reporters he typically meets with local officials as he traveled the state.

He said they talked about recently killed police and corrections officers and about state spending. “We just talked about the state budget. What’s happening. He was just asking me because I’m coming out with the budget on Monday,” Scott said.

Unions have reacted with fury at Scott’s plan to make government employees contribute to part of the cost of their pension plans, similar to what happens in the private sector, instead of having taxpayers pick up the entire cost.

Scott said he wasn’t aware of the unions’ response. “I haven’t seen any reaction.”

He said he thinks his proposal for a 5 percent employee contribution is fair to workers and fair to taxpayers.

Broward bus runs over woman's arm -- and other accidents taxpayers are on the hook for

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 4, 2011 12:27 PM

Broward bus drivers made mistakes last year that wrecked other people’s vehicles, left victims with lasting injuries and sparked lawsuits that cost taxpayers more than $1 million.

In just the past six months, Broward County commissioners settled nine cases in which public transit buses rear-ended or smashed head-on into other drivers, struck a 61-year-old bicyclist in a bike lane, hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk at the beach, and in one case, ran over the arm of a woman with a walker who had fallen trying to get to the bus. All of the victims got payouts from Broward County to help cover medical expenses.

Tuesday, another bus driver’s mistake will be up for public review, potentially putting $75,000 from the county into the pocket of a driver seriously injured and rendered temporarily comatose in 2008 after a bus began a chain reaction of rear-end collisions.

Crashes and the costly lawsuits that ensue are a problem that plague mass transit systems in many locales. The reason is simple: Buses are on the roads every day. When these behemoths, weighing up to 20 tons, make contact with another vehicle or a human being, the result can be disastrous.

Broward Transit spokeswoman Phyllis Berry said the system’s accident record is going in the right direction, with fewer crashes in 2010 than the year before.

However, according to county data, the percentage of crashes that were the result of driver error increased. Broward’s bus crash record was worse than Palm Beach County’s, which had fewer bus crashes per mile attributed to driver mistakes.

Broward’s new transit director Tim Garling said he’s taken a look at the growth in error-related crashes and doesn’t see a “cause for alarm.’’ But Garling added, “we want to be able to trend it and make it better. … I want to have high standards. I want us to hold ourselves to the highest degree of accountability.’’

If you have great vision you can see this sticker
on the bus that warns riders they're being
surveilled electronically, aka videotaped.

Broward buses last year had 478 accidents – nine a week. One in four resulted from bus drivers’ mistakes and were deemed “preventable,’’ the department found.

The year before, there were more accidents, but the crashes blamed on driver mistakes were fewer than one in five.

Broward’s bus system received the “Most Improved’’ award in 2010 from the Florida Public Transportation Association for reducing crashes in recent years.

Meanwhile, Palm Tran in Palm Beach County, with its better track record, won the first place “Safety Award” from the same non-profit organization for running the safest large-scale bus operation in Florida, Palm Tran Executive Director Chuck Cohen said.

Just two weeks ago, Broward commissioners agreed to pay money to settle three more claims that arose from bus driver errors in recent years:

A bus rear-ended a car. The car driver and a passenger suffered ruptured disks in their spines, aggravating existing back problems. Both were left permanently impaired, and one has persistent headaches. Their medical bills topped $50,000, but the county settled by giving them $40,000 total. The bus driver was disciplined.

A bus driver was disciplined for attempting a U-turn from a center lane and smashing into a vehicle. The victim of that crash was hurt in the leg, neck and back, is permanently impaired and ran up medical bills of about $76,563, according to the county. Broward taxpayers gave this person $25,000.

A head-on crash between a bus turning left in an intersection and an oncoming car seriously injured a passenger on the bus. That person got $50,000. The bus driver was disciplined.

Broward Commissioner Dale Holness said he’s “paying attention’’ to bus safety; his constituents are heavy users of mass transit. But lawsuits are to be expected, he said.

“Being someone involved in business, people are always looking to see how they can sue someone for something,’’ said Holness, commissioner for the north-central Broward District 9.

Palm Beach County settled 20 crash-related claims in the 2009-2010 budget year for $35,519. The number is relatively low because it only includes settlements for accidents that occurred during that period, while often it takes years for a claim to come to settlement. Broward’s amount includes any case from any year that was settled in that calendar year. Miami-Dade, whose system is double the size of Broward’s, spent about $2 million settling bus- and passenger-related cases in the 2009-2010 budget year.

Palm Tran’s bus drivers had a better track record for error-caused crashes in 2009 than both counties to the south.

Though Palm’s bus system is half the size of Broward’s, collision rates are calculated per mile driven, and can be used for comparison. Palm’s Cohen said he didn’t yet have crash data for 2010. But in 2009, Palm had .44 preventable crashes for every 100,000 bus miles driven, Broward had .6, and Miami-Dade .91.

In the last five months of 2010, Broward County commissioners settled a half-dozen claims or lawsuits arising from bus crashes:

A 61-year-old bicyclist on State Road A1A was in a bike lane when he was hit by a bus pulling out from a bus stop, county memos described. The cyclist tore a rotator cuff in his shoulder and settled for $80,000. Another case involved a pedestrian in a crosswalk at the beach who was struck by a bus turning left. The pedestrian’s pelvis was fractured. That case was settled for $100,000.

A motorist was stopped at a red light at Andrews Avenue and Copans Road when a bus rear-ended him. His medical bills ran to $40,206. The county paid him $40,000. Another motorist’s spine was injured when a bus plowed into his rear fender. He settled for $35,000, though his doctor bills exceeded that.

One of the claims involved a bus rider. When the bus rear-ended an automobile in front of it, the 51-year-old passenger hurt her forehead, arm and knee. For a year, her knee, neck and back hurt. Then she had knee surgery. She settled for $30,000.

Perhaps the most cringe-inspiring case was that of a woman run over by a bus, who lived. Videotape from the bus shows the woman sitting on the curb with her walker when the bus arrived. She was on U.S. 441 just north of Hallandale Boulevard. The bus stopped, and riders boarded. But this woman took longer to get to the door, and the driver didn’t see her. She stumbled and fell to the ground, and the right rear tire of the bus ran over her arm and clavicle. When passengers shouted in alarm, the bus driver stopped and called paramedics.

Tea Party keeping watchful eye on politicians it helped elect

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 4, 2011 12:16 PM

South Florida tea party activists are following through on their vow to keep an eye on the new Republican majorities in Congress and in Tallahassee. And the politicians are granting them lots of access.

In just over a month since Republicans – many elected with tea party backing – took over every seat in the Florida Cabinet and control of the U.S. House:

Two of Florida’s top officials, chief financial officer Jeff Atwater and state Senate President Mike Haridopolos, traveled to a gathering of some 70 tea party leaders from around the state last weekend.

The Republican congressional leadership – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, met with tea party leaders, including South Florida Tea Party Chairman Everett Wilkinson, last month.

And Gov. Rick Scott will attend a tea party event on Monday in the small Central Florida town of Eustis. He’ll unveil his proposed state budget before the tea partiers instead of the usual Tallahassee government insiders.

“Our voice matters,” said Karin Hoffman, founder and president of the Broward-based DC Works For US, on the tea party leaders who heard from Atwater and Haridopolos. “It’s like we’ve become a lobbying force – with the peoples’ best interests in mind, not a corporation’s. That’s what I’d say is the paradigm shift.”

From Palm Beach County, Barry Carson monitors activities in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C. Along with a network of compatriots across the country, he’s ready to pounce the moment someone strays – or hints at straying from what the tea party expects.

“I’m an information merchant,” he said. “I just get information out there, and then it’s up to the people. If I think there’s a problem I put out an alert for people to call [and say] we’re watching and we don’t like what you’re doing.”

Carson, affiliated with several tea party groups, blogs at a variety of their websites and sends out e-mail blasts alerting members to potential transgressions. His most recent concerned an Arkansas congressman who hinted he might go along with raising the federal debt ceiling rather than concentrating on spending cuts.

E-mail notices go out when there’s a vote that tea party activists consider important. “It’s not something that goes without notice. We identify who, and hold them accountable,” Hoffman said. For those who stray, there’s a subtext: “We work to move them out.”

Also in the arsenal are in-person gatherings, like the one that attracted Atwater and Haridopolos, frequent conference calls, and a message board that links 140 Florida tea party leaders, Hoffman said. “It’s just a spider web that has spread across the nation.”

Wilkinson, who leads the Palm Beach County-based South Florida Tea Party, uses all those tools. His first of several planned 2011 trips to Washington when the new Republican-controlled House was sworn in was partly to witness the ceremony – and largely to meet with a range of Congress members and remind them the tea party is still around.

“The key thing is that we had a presence. We’re going to increase it,” Wilkinson said. Forays to Washington are part of “how we’re going to make sure that they don’t become too mainstream, that they forget where they came from and their obligations to the people. That’s how we’re going to keep people in line.”

Carson, Hoffman and Wilkinson said their messages to elected officials and to tea party members aren’t only aimed at punishing what they view as negative. “It can be an incredible support when they’re making decisions that reduce the size of government, reducing the spending, maybe reducing the tax burden,” Hoffman said.

Carson said he spoke with Scott after the new governor’s decision to use the federal E-Verify database to make sure everyone working for the state was in the country legally. “I thanked him for keeping his promise.”

Tea party leaders said they don’t expect instant results – but they do expect tough decisions.

One issue for tea party activists is the planned high-speed rail system linking Tampa and Orlando, Hoffman said. The federal government has so far allocated more than $2 billion of the estimated Tampa-Orlando cost of $3.2 billion. Much of the money is coming from the 2009 federal stimulus program that is loathed by people in the tea party movement.

The potential support from networks of tea party supporters is a powerful lure for politicians like Haridopolos, who is running for U.S. Senate next year. But the kind of pressure that comes from a continued, strong tea party presence is a challenge for Republicans – even those elected with support from its activists, according to an academic observer.

“The tea party has turned into a public pressure group,” said Charles Zelden, a professor of history and legal studies who specializes in politics and voting at Nova Southeastern University. “They’re organized, they’re focused.”

Pushing the Republican Party further to the right on issues important to the tea party, such as lower spending and taxes and immigration policy, may satisfy the activists, but isn’t necessarily good long-term strategy for winning elections, Zelden said. A likely side effect of tea party influence is alienation of more centrist, independent voters who are vital to winning elections, he said.

Tea party activists said politicians can expect their continued presence.

“They’re going to hear and they’re going to see a lot from us,” said Tony Coulter, a charter dive boat captain in Boca Raton. “It’s not like the old days, when we’re just going to sit around and let them do what they want.

“We’re actually watching them now,” Coulter said. “If they want to stay in office, they’re going to have to do what the people want.”

Cannon was apologetic afterwards. And in this letter, he says he's sorry that "instead of
instilling trust in the County Commission's decision regarding the future of historic preservation
for Broward County, my outburst accomplished the opposite. I apologize for my comments
during the meeting.''

He said in an interview Thursday that he still thinks the relationship can work.

Cannon said he lost his cool at Tuesday's night's Historical Commission meeting, because he said he feels like he's bent over backwards for the historical board's paid county staff, which were moved under his wing during budget cuts.

Rather than thank him for all he's done, he said, the Historical Commission voted to ask the County Commission to reverse the budget decision and remove them from Cannon's leadership. After that passed, they asked Cannon to look at county meeting agendas for them and give them a heads-up on things that might pertain to them. That's Cannon's view of what happened. He snapped.

Historical Commission member Steve Glassman's side of things is that Cannon viewed the new work with them as a burden, was "curt'' in his responses to them and "he’s made it very clear that he’s not happy this was dumped on him.''

Act quickly to register to vote in city elections

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 4, 2011 10:58 AM

Monday is the deadline to register to vote in the March 8 city, town and village elections.

Eight Broward communities are having local elections. The number of municipal elections in Palm Beach County isn’t yet known because the deadline for candidates to qualify hasn’t hit yet in some locations.

Registration requirements are simple. Be age 18 by the day of the election and a U.S. citizen. Felons who haven’t had their voting rights restored and people judged mentally incompetent aren’t eligible.

How to do it. Fill out a registration form and get it back to the Supervisor of Elections Office by the end of the business day Monday, or make sure it’s postmarked by the deadline (Feb. 7).

People can register at county elections offices, public libraries and driver’s license offices.

Other government offices, such as city halls and post offices often have the forms. But it’s up to the person registering to get the form to the Elections Office.

Make sure every bit of information is legible, especially driver’s license or Social Security number

Elections officials recommended people supply a telephone number, even though it’s optional on the form, to allow quick resolution of any questions.

If you’re already registered, update your information if there’s been a change. If you’ve moved within the county you can call in an address change. If you have moved from another Florida county, a new voter registration form is required. Addresses and names can be updated up to, and on, Election Day.

First Presbyterian seeks another delay in expansion vote

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 4, 2011 09:00 AM

First Presbyterian Church has asked the city to delay again a decision on its controversial expansion plans.

The City Commission was scheduled to take up the discussion of the expansion at its Feb. 15 meeting. Instead, the church wants a delay until May 17.

Robert Lochrie, the attorney for the church, said that the church wants more time to consider potential modifications to its plans. The church has talking to its membership, city officials and neighborhood opponents about revising the proposal.

The $20 million expansion includes two Spanish-mission style buildings. One would be a two-story family center with classrooms, a gym, kitchen and stage, while the other would be a five-story parking garage with small stores and restaurants on the first floor.

The city's planning board unanimously backed the controversial project in July after winning more concessions from the church to protect the surrounding neighborhood off Las Olas Boulevard. Colee Hammock opponents have argued the proposed buildings are too massive and would overwhelm the community with traffic.

Handful of protestors on hand to greet Congressman Allen West

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 3, 2011 03:17 PM

Updated at 4:30 p.m. with comments from protestors, reaction from West:

Estee Pavlica, with BP collage
/Photo by Anthony Man

About a dozen people protesting U.S. Rep. Allen West's stand in favor of offshore oil drilling are on hand to greet West for a town hall meeting he's holding shortly in Fort Lauderdale.

Several leaders of Democratic clubs, who said they're about to be reinforced by the Sierra Club, are outside the Beach Community Center.

West, a Republican from Plantation, and state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, a Fort Lauderdale Republican, are holding a town hall meeing starting at 4 p.m. Details.

Update: “We’re here because we’re concerned about our beaches. We continue to have this potential problem with oil spilling off our coast,” said one of the protestors, Ivan Itkin.

“West is talking about we ought to have offshore drilling because we need it for the country. What do the people of Florida need? We don’t want to end up like Louisiana.”

“He has a responsibility to protect our interests. Our beaches are very important to us. Our beaches are our lifeblood. If we lose it, we lose a hell of a lot,” Itkin said.

He’s the president of the Galt Ocean Grassroots Organization, a Democratic club popularly known as the Go Go Democrats, and supported the man West defeated in November, then-U.S. Rep. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton.

Estee Pavlica, a member of the Go Go Democrats and a Democratic committeewoman, held a collage she made depicting damage to the Gulf Coast from the BP oil spill.

“I want to protect tour beaches from offshore oil drilling,” she said.
Several of the protestors came inside the town hall, joining about 125 people present, and sat in the back holding their signs.

Before questions and answers started, West said he wanted to address the sign-holders.

He said the United States needs energy independence, and that includes, all sources of power, including nuclear, coal, solar and wind. Offshore exploration is part of that.

West said he favors “limited oil exploration and also limited national gas” offshore -- “off the horizon, which no one can see.”

If the U.S. doesn’t drill offshore, West said other countries such as Cuba and China would still be doing it – in a fashion that could be even more potentially dangerous for the environment.

Besides improving the nation’s energy security, he said it would allow Florida to produce jobs and boost the economy.

West said the situation in Egypt makes American energy security, including offshore exploration, even more important. If Egypt falls into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood, West warned that oil shipments through the Suez Canal could be jeopardized.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 3, 2011 12:42 PM

UPDATE:Read his apology letter here.
Broward Libraries Director Bob Cannon lost his cool earlier this week, hurling the "F bomb'' at a public meeting, at volunteer advisory board members who are at odds with him.

"It’s true I used the F word,'' an apologetic Cannon told me Thursday. "I blew my cool, which I haven’t done in my 41 years in government,''

The 65-year-old Cannon was tasked last fall with taking Broward's Historical Commission under his wing, because of budget cuts. The advisory board that focuses on preservation in Broward used to report directly to the County Commission and have independence, including the ability to direct its staff. Now that power goes to Cannon.

So Cannon and the board have had tension, to say the least.

Cannon had an outburst Tuesday night after the Historical Commission voted to pass a resolution asking the Broward County Commission to reverse the budget-cutting arrangement, remove the historical work from the library domain and restore its independent status.

That rankled Cannon, who said he's done a lot to accommodate them, including absorbing their staff into his budget by giving up some of his own positions.

"That’s why I was upset,'' he said, "Can’t somebody say thanks?''

After that, the board asked him to do more work for them, requesting that a researcher look at the county meeting agenda to give them a heads-up about items that might pertain to them.

That's when he lost it.

Board member Steve Glassman paraphrased Cannon's outburst this way: "He said I’m tired of all of you dumping on me. You don’t seem to realize all the work that the library staff has done for you, and if you’re not happy with my answers and you don’t like what we’re doing, then I will shut the f---ng lights and lock this building!''

Glassman said he remembers those last words directly.

"He said those words,'' Glassman said. "There was silence, and everyone’s jaws just dropped.''

Alysa Plummer, a preservationist, attended the meeting as a spectator. She said she was floored. She also said the board's request to be restored to independence is not about Cannon, it's about eliminating bureaucracy and having a direct line to the County Commission.

Cannon said he cannot be an "advocate'' for the board, because he must carry out the will of the elected officials and county administrator.

"For the head of the library system to sort of make it about him,'' Plummer said. " ... He’s got to wear the big boy pants. He’s head of one of the biggest library divisions in the country.''

The current arrangement, she said, doesn't work.

"Whatever this is, whatever has been set in motion,'' she said, "clearly is not working.''

Cannon said his bosses are aware of what happened, and he's busy drafting a letter of explanation.

Commissioner Chip LaMarca, who was among those contacted about the outburst, said he questions the budget move, and would not have supported it.

But he said he is bothered by the way some county commissioners treat staff. So he wasn't eager to pile on.

"I know emotions can get high,'' he said, noting that he was picking up the meeting tape later in the day. "I’m not the profanity police.''

City historic preservation law may need updating following court loss

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 3, 2011 12:31 PM

Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Romney Rogers is pledging to review the city’s historic preservation laws in light of the court decision this week allowing the demolition of the Shippey House.

Rogers, who represents the Sailboat Bend area where the home is located, said he is concerned that the ruling by the state appellate court in West Palm Beach shows that the law likely needs rewriting.

Now owned by a debt collection company following a foreclosure, the Shippey House was built between 1914 and 1918 for one of the area's first judges. The ruling that the appellate court upheld said the city had not designated the Shippey House to be a landmark and that the owner had the right to receive a demolition permit because “the property … no longer has significance as a historic architectural or archaeological landmark.”

Rogers said he is open to any last-minute efforts to move the house to another location and save it. The commission will have to take up issuing the demolition permit within the next month.

“I’m disappointed because the house could be destroyed,” Rogers said. “We got to look at the ordinance and beef it up because of the decision. I would like to see the house saved because the house was an important piece of the neighborhood.”

The court fight began in 2009 when city commissioners refused to grant a demolition permit because they deemed the Shippey House historic. The owner, New York-based CVM 1 REO LLC, sued.

Deerfield Beach hospitality has limits when it comes to Hillsboro Beach renourishment project

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 3, 2011 10:38 AM

Staff writer Larry Barszewski reports:

Deerfield Beach may be doing its part for the upcoming Hillsboro Beach beach renourishment project, but that doesn’t mean it wants to become the “launching pad” for operations that will primarily benefit Hillsboro Beach.

“I do not want the city of Deerfield Beach to be the construction site so a bunch of millionaires don’t have a problem in their back yard,” Deerfield Beach Commissioner Bill Ganz said.

The city is participating in the $6 million project because it will renourish part of the city’s beach south of the city’s pier. Officials realize the city will need to provide access for some of the work being done, particularly since the dredge will be operating offshore near the city’s pier.

But when Great Lakes Dock and Dredge, the company hired to do the work, came before the commission this week, it was seeking a broader permission to use the city’s Southeast Ninth Street and adjacent parking areas for beach access, saying it would be used 24 hours daily over the next two months.

That didn’t sit well with Deerfield Beach commissioners, who said the work could have a devastating impact on the beach economy during the height of the tourist season.

“We have to take into consideration our residents, our hotel,” Mayor Peggy Noland said. “It was already disrupted over there with the construction that went on in front of the Embassy Suites,” she said, referring to sidewalks and pavers recently installed on Ocean Way.

Lynn Nietfeld, project sponsor for Great Lakes, said she was negotiating for use of a property in Hillsboro Beach, but that spot hadn’t been nailed down yet. Even if that plan falls through, she said Deerfield Beach still would not become the center of operations.

Deerfield Beach commissioners didn’t want to take any chances, directing her to continue working with City Manager Burgess Hanson for limited access through the city.

Hillsboro Beach Mayor Carmen McGarry, contacted after the Deerfield Beach commission meeting, said she did not think there would be any problems for Deerfield Beach.

“We certainly have enough empty spaces and places to go” for construction access, McGarry said. “I think Deerfield Beach was overly concerned. I can’t blame them, because they have a gorgeous beach.”

Seiler, West chat about Fort Lauderdale needs

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 3, 2011 09:00 AM

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler sat down Wednesday with newly elected U.S. Rep. Allen West in hopes of laying out issues critical to the city.

Seiler said he discussed the status of the city’s downtown light-rail project and beach renourishment. The federal government helps finance beach renourishment, and federal transit officials are studying the city’s plans for a 2.7-mile light rail streetcar system.

Seiler said they also discussed the importance of the marine industry and the city’s fight to stop the illicit flow of narcotic pills from rogue pain clinics. Seiler said he urged West to consider taking action on a federal level because people often cross state lines to come to South Florida to get large quantities of prescription drugs.

Seiler described West as generally open-minded about the issues he raised.

The chat at City Hall was largely a get-acquainted session. Seiler said he regularly talks to U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Alcee Hastings about city business and wants to do the same with West. He said the connections are important because the city does not have a paid lobbyist in Washington, D.C., to represent its interests.

Broward commissioners said lobbyists zero in on staff members who can influence who gets government contracts, and they start their schmoozing, and educating, with them.

This new transparency database is searchable by lobbyist, and by employee visited.

If you search last name "Henry,'' you'll see, for example, the lobbyist Ron Book and his client, Mike Dee of the Dolphins, have been talking to County Administrator Bertha Henry about an ill-received plan to use Broward hotel taxes on a Miami-Dade stadium renovation.

February 2, 2011

Fort Lauderdale eyes boom in short-term rentals

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 2, 2011 06:18 PM

A “beautiful cottage” in Sailboat Bend rents for $230 a day. A “modern castle” on the Middle River advertises for $10,000 a week.

Hundreds of Fort Lauderdale property owners are regularly renting their homes for less than a month — and possibly violating murky city rules. Internet sites specializing in vacation rentals are packed with Fort Lauderdale houses available for a night or a week, replete with promises of tropical gardens, deluxe pools and convenient shopping.

It’s a booming business that has city officials debating whether they should strengthen their regulations or legitimize the practice. Some other South Florida communities like Boca Raton deal with short-term rentals the same way as Fort Lauderdale, but questions of whether rules should change has taken place from Hollywood to West Palm Beach.

Some who live near vacation rentals in Fort Lauderdale say their neighborhoods have been upended by what they see as mini-hotels and complain of noise, traffic and garbage. But those in the business say any move to curb short-term rentals would threaten the city’s economy and lead to another wave of foreclosures.

“All of us are in limbo,” said Scott House, who manages 15 rental properties and helped start a group called South Florida Vacation Rentals Association. “I don’t think Fort Lauderdale can just dismiss short-term rentals when our economy is based on tourism and the beach. Vacation rentals are big business, and we would send a message to the world that we are closed for business.”

Paul Dooley, a longtime resident of the Coral Ridge neighborhood, is among those who believe the city should do more to protect surrounding residents. He said a house near him regularly is rented to a dozen or more people at a time for vacation weekends.

“People come in on the weekends and party all night,” Dooley said. “People should have the right to rent their property, but this neighborhood is for single-family homes, not hotels. There has got to be a dividing line.”

Fort Lauderdale has no law directly regulating short-term rentals of homes or condos. Rather, there is a mix of land-use rules and what city attorneys say are standard business definitions. Rentals of more than a month are OK, but landlords who rent for shorter periods may be breaking the law.

That’s because of land-use prohibitions concerning commercial activity in single-family neighborhoods. City attorneys say rentals of less than 30 days can be tantamount to running a business.

Property owners can be fined up to $1,000 a day if they keep renting on a short-term basis after being found in violation of the law.

But the city relies on citizen complaints to enforce the law and has fewer code enforcement inspectors than it once did. And although city officials have successfully defended their interpretation in court, they are facing more legal challenges by other property owners over whether the regulations are too vague.

Fort Lauderdale’s sizeable short-term rental market has been fueled by the real estate boom-turned-bust of the past decade. Real estate investment grew, and those owners are seeking income — particularly those who believed they could quickly re-sell property for a profit and now can’t.

One major vacation rental website, Vacation Rentals by Owner, lists almost 250 properties available in Fort Lauderdale. That’s twice as many postings as it has for Hollywood and five times as many as for Boca Raton.

Local officials say rental advertisements run in publications and websites across Europe as well.

“It’s almost a black market for vacation rentals,” said Nicki Grossman, Broward County’s tourism czar. “A lot of times you simply don’t know a house is being used, but it also can be distressing to the neighborhood.”

Grossman said she doesn’t view the rentals as competition to hotels. Those in the rental business say they primarily appeal to people who want to stay somewhere other than a hotel. Some clients are large families or people who want a more homey feel to their vacation such as a private kitchen or pool.

Short-term landlords contend the city will shut down the vacation rental market if it prohibits contracts as short as a week. They say many landlords have “good neighbor” policies in which they provide 24-hour contact information to nearby residents, check on their tenants during their stay and impose standards of conduct for the renters.

“People count on the income,” said Paul Jones, who rents out Fort Lauderdale property on a short-term basis. “Property values have gone down as it is, and they would really hurt the city. You would turn it into foreclosure city.”

Fort Lauderdale joins the ranks of communities struggling with what to do about short-term rentals even though other nearby cities report no problems.

Rentals of less than 30 days were banned in New York City under legislation the state passed last summer. Officials in the southwest Florida community of Venice are fighting a judge’s ruling that its ban on short-term rentals is an unconstitutional violation of homeowners’ property rights, and the town of Jupiter Inlet Colony this week lost a court fight over its restrictions on rentals.

Hollywood officials debated whether to restrict rentals last year, but stuck with rules that include no time limits and simply require those who rent their property to register with the city. West Palm Beach has debated and re-debated its minimum time requirements on rentals. Meanwhile, Boca Raton has had no problem in years with policies that are similar to Fort Lauderdale’s.

Fort Lauderdale’s City Commission created a task force of business owners and neighborhood leaders to review the short-term rental rules. Officials will hold a public hearing Feb. 24, and the fight will likely come to a head once recommendations are made to the commission.

The result will have ramifications beyond the vacation business. The task force has explored ideas from a ban on rentals of less than six months to imposing licensing requirements on owners.

What’s decided also would have an impact on temporary lodging used by students, people visiting the area for medical care, new residents while they look for a permanent home, and even the maritime industry. Captains and boat owners often put crews up in homes while their yacht is docked in the area.

Mayor Jack Seiler said he wants to stop abuses of short-term rentals, but said the city has been cautious because of the ripple effects.

“The thought is to try to create a little more regulation in this arena to ensure short-term rentals don’t negatively impact our neighborhoods,” Seiler said. “It’s all about quality of life — the quality of life in your neighborhood or on your block, and if short-term rentals negatively impact quality of life, they should be scrutinized.”

Appellate court clears way for demolition of historic Fort Lauderdale house

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 2, 2011 04:23 PM

Fort Lauderdale has lost a legal fight to save one of its oldest homes.

A state appellate court in West Palm Beach cleared the way this week for the demolition of the crumbling Shippey House. Built between 1914 and 1918 for one of the area’s first judges, the house has rapidly deteriorated as a salvage effort failed three years ago and then a debt collection company seized ownership.

The decision is the second recent setback for historic preservationists. A judge last week said the old Dr. Kennedy Homes housing project downtown could be torn down and replaced with new apartments for the poor.

“The unfortunate situation is the house has been allowed to get to this point, but it’s definitely worth saving,” said Charles Jordan of the Trust for Historic Sailboat Bend. “This house is part of the historic and cultural fabric of our neighborhood.”

The court fight began in 2009 when city commissioners refused to grant a demolition permit because they deemed the Shippey House historic. The owner, New York-based CVM 1 REO LLC, sued.

The ruling that the appellate court upheld said the city had not designated the Shippey House to be a landmark and that the owner had the right to receive a demolition permit because “the property … no longer has significance as a historic architectural or archaeological landmark.”

Police presence heightened in Stranahan Park

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 2, 2011 02:33 PM

Fort Lauderdale Police has stepped up its presence in Stranahan Park where the city has long struggled to cope with the throngs of homeless that gather daily.

The Police Department moved a mobile command tower to the park on Wednesday. It looms over the area between the front of the county main library and the recently renovated Fort Lauderdale Women’s Club.

Downtown business owners and residents have put increasing pressure on the city to do something about the use of Stranahan Park as a gathering place for the homeless. They say it discourages other people from coming downtown or patronizing their businesses.

City commissioners, though, have failed for two years to follow through on promises to open a feeding center. If they did so, they could then ban groups from serving meals in the park. But each location they've considered has met resistance from surrounding neighborhoods.

A coalition of churches has been waiting for the city to follow through so they could then coordinate meals and better offer other assistance.

Mayor Jack Seiler has proposed the city find two temporary locations - one north of the New River and one south – to provide meals. He said that would spread out the feeding so no single area shoulders the entire effort, and he said it would be better able to pass legal muster. The city could face a federal court challenge if any site is too inconvenient for the homeless that now gather downtown.

Lobbyist Ron Book is in the crosshairs right now
for straddling conflicts of interest.

County Administrator Bertha Henry gave an update to county commissioners a week ago, advising them that Dolphins CEO Mike Dee would be paying each of them an individual visit to smooth things over. She said he was concerned about maintaining the team's good relationship with the county. The Dolphins' training camp is in Davie, for one thing. Commissioners also were told that Broward County and its tourist tax would be removed from the state bill in question. She hinted that some new idea is cooking, also.

A look at Broward County's relatively new lobbying log (marked as a Visitors Log on the county website), shows that Dee's efforts to massage commissioners have already begun. Dolphins (and Broward County) lobbyist Ron Book and Dee met with Vice Mayor John Rodstrom and Commissioner Stacy Ritter in recent days. Wednesday they met with Mayor Sue Gunzburger.

Henry went on to say that "they very much would like to have Broward County again provide, at least acknowledge or have some support for the work that -- the commitment to the Dolphins as a regional partner, notwithstanding what they did. And they understand that you are not supportive of that.''

She said she believed "that they are prepared to extract that language in some way, shape or form'' but wanted to talk to commissioners first, "to try to make amends to the way that things have transpired. They feel very badly about that.''

The team's (and county's) lobbyist, Ron Book, is for now representing two parties directly at odds on a major issue. Broward commissioners said they didn't like it, and they had asked for a better policy on how to handle that kind of thing.

Book sent word to officials at that Jan. 25 meeting, though, that he thinks he no longer has a conflict because the plan to use Broward money would be removed from the bill.

The only Republican on the commission, Chip LaMarca, went after Book's representation, saying: "I don't feel comfortable with him in Tallahassee on behalf of us.''

Commissioner Kristin Jacobs also was upset about the thought of Book working in Tallahassee against the county, his part-time employer.

Rodstrom, like his colleague Lois Wexler, said Book is a great lobbyist.

"The last thing I want to do is not have Ron Book work for us,'' Rodstrom said. "That is cutting off your nose to spite your face in my opinion. So I would tell you to get over it.''

This issue is still kind of hanging out there. Jacobs asked, and her colleagues agreed, for a new policy to come forward for a vote, that would exist outside the lobbyists' contracts, and would address what can be done about conflicts, including possible penalties.

Broward government (finally) enters modern age; Apple users can see meetings, too

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 2, 2011 12:36 PM

Broward Commissioner Stacy Ritter made a dramatic announcement Tuesday, calling it a special day, and immediately grabbing everyone's rapt attention.

What made the day so special, she said solemnly, was that "today, for the first time in Broward County's long and illustrious, careered history, Commissioner Wexler's husband and other Apple fans throughout the world are finally able to view our Commission meetings over their Macs.''

She said Wexler had dubbed it "Macability.'' Then she thanked staff for "making my dream come true.''

That means Broward is no longer "like the frumpy PC guy on Apple’s television commercials'' that my colleague and i-fan Scott Wyman told you about in the past.

Click here and here for memory refreshers on the county's (recent) days in the technological dark ages.

Prominent law firm promotes two of its lobbyists

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 2, 2011 10:59 AM

Becker & Poliakoff, the Fort Lauderdale-based law firm with an extensive lobbying practice, has elected two of its major lobbyists as shareholders.

Neil Schiller, who's been a South Florida political consultant, practices in the firm's Broward and Palm Beach county offices.

Considered one of Broward's "super lobbyists," he concentrates on local governments, including land use, zoning, public sector procurement and local lobbying.

Schiller has served on the Boca Raton Planning and Zoning Board and serves on the boards of the Anti-Defamation League of Palm Beach County, the South Palm Beach County Jewish Federation, Young Adult Division, and the Stranahan House.

Nelson D. Diaz, a former chief of staff to the state's new U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, lobbies from the firm's Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., offices. Diaz is based in Coral Gables.

Fort Lauderdale extending ban on new pain clinics

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 2, 2011 10:18 AM

With state regulations on the abuse of prescription medicine in a holding pattern, Fort Lauderdale is extending its ban on new pain management clinics for another six months.

City commissioners imposed the moratorium a year ago as part of the fight to stop the illicit flow of narcotic pills from rogue pain clinics that are sometimes referred to as pill mills. The city hoped the ban would be a stopgap until the Legislature acted, but officials have been mortified by delays in Tallahassee.

Commissioners on Tuesday gave tentative approval to extend their ban. The final vote comes in two weeks.

State restrictions would require inspection of pain clinics and punishment of doctors for violations. Doctors would have to examine patients before writing a prescription and cut off those who abuse pain medicine.

The restrictions were delayed because legislators passed a law in November saying no new administrative rules could take effect until approved again by the state House and Senate, a step that can’t come until the legislative session starts in March. The rules also face a potential roadblock from Gov. Rick Scott, who froze all proposed rules for a review by his advisers.

Broward County leads the nation in the sale of the pain medicine oxycodone and draws people from around the country in search of large quantities of painkillers. Officials estimate that seven Floridians die every day from prescription drug overdoses, some of those due to pill mills.

Partisans from both sides plan civil debate on political philosophy

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 2, 2011 09:16 AM

They’re diametrically opposed on most issues, but they’re coming together Thursday night for an unusual two-hour conversation about the different philosophical approaches to the nation’s most pressing problems: health care, energy, jobs, taxes.

Called "The American Experiment: Where Do We Go From Here," the event is the brainchild of Karin Hoffman, founder and president of the Broward-based DC Works for US, which is part of the tea party movement. Hoffman is also Broward a Republican committeewoman.

Her partner in the effort is Franco Ripple, vice president of the Broward Young Democrats and the southeast regional director of the Florida Young Democrats.

They’ve assembled a three-person “liberal team” and a three-person “conservative team.” Each will offer its sides’ solutions to a particular problem. The other side will get a rebuttal – not for attacks, but to refute the positions. Then the other side will get to offer its solutions followed by a rebuttal.

The idea is that each side will present how America would look if it could achieve its goals.

“We surround ourselves in our bubbles. It’s almost like a group think,” Hoffman said. The idea is to “challenge what you believe…. It’s not a political debate. You’re getting beyond issues and discussing ideology.”

One thing it will not be, Hoffman promised: “Candidates that are spouting platforms for their party and sound bites.”

That’s the key reason the gathering is this week, Ripple said. He and Hoffman wanted to do it now, when there aren’t big campaigns going on that force people interested in politics to be more guarded in their comments. “We can have an honest dialog before the next campaign cycle heats up.”

Ripple said it’s a conversation about the different ways that the two main ideological streams in the United States approach the country’s problems.

“What we’re really trying to drill down to is the ways our various philosophies solve our nations’ emergent problems – without the campaign platforms and sound bites,” he said. “It’s not designed to be a gotcha kind of thing.

“They’re not gotcha type questions. We’re not making anyone look stupid. We’re interested in what unites us, what divides us, what makes us different. But at the end of the day what unites us.

“What we’re hoping for is that the tone of this event will be very different from some of the congressional town halls that you’ve seen. This is not an event for people to come to be nasty to the person sitting next to them,” Ripple said. “You’re going to be sitting next to someone who probably believes something different from you.”

The unlikely pair met last year at a Florida Atlantic University forum where both spoke. “It was a great discussion, and we’ve become friends,” Hoffman said. “I said we need to take that and build on it.”

The event is Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Coral Springs Christian Academy, 2251 Riverside Drive, Coral Springs.

It’s open to the public. Organizers will request donations with proceeds to the Wounded Warrior project. “This way we can support the soldiers who have sacrificed everything so we can have this discussion,” Hoffman said.

The liberal panel (Franco calls it “progressive”): Ripple; Laura Hammad, president of the Orange County Young Democrats; and Alexander Lewy, Hallandale Beach city commissioner and president of the Florida Young Democrats.

The conservative panel: David Gobeo, board member of the Republican Business Network in Coral Springs and Parkland; Sheela Venero, secretary of the Broward Republican Party and president of Broward County Young Republicans; Robert Lowry, president of the South Broward Republican Club and an unsuccessful candidate for a Republican congressional nomination last year.

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 2, 2011 09:00 AM

Fort Lauderdale took the first step Tuesday to allowing alcohol sales in bars and restaurants before noon on Sunday.

The City Commission agreed in concept last month to ease its ban on Sunday morning liquor sales. The commissioners are now beginning the process of approving the new opening time of 7 a.m. – the same as the other six days a week.

Restaurateurs and bar owners have pressed the city for change, saying the ban was an outdated restriction that no longer makes sense in the competitive business of international tourism. They said tourists and locals want to be able to have a mimosa or a Bloody Mary with Sunday brunch.

Under the change being approved, grocery stores and liquor stores would still be barred from selling alcoholic items before noon on Sunday.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 2, 2011 08:00 AM

Travelers who aren't impressed with the taxi and shuttle and limo operations at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport will be glad to learn that things are changing in a big way.

Broward airport officials have been working, at the prompting of the Federal Aviation Administration, to open the system to more competition, and improve services.

I'll post a story we wrote in September on this, on the jump page. But to recap: Broward taxi mogul Jesse Gaddis (or taxi czar, as this paper often calls him) has run the cabs at the airport for 30 years. (Story about Gaddis on the jump also.) About 10 years ago, the cab offerings were opened to competitive bid. But he still owns the vast majority of them, and he also is the dispatcher. The new system will not allow the dispatcher to also run cabs. It hasn't been approved, and Gaddis didn't attend a workshop Tuesday at the county about it.

"We've grown out of our system,'' aviation director Kent George told commissioners, several of whom would be well familiar with the campaign contribution checks Gaddis can be counted on to give every election.

The contracts at the airport expire in April. And also pressing: The airport was cited by the FAA because they viewed the cab operations as monopolistic and said they hadn't been bid out in a long time.

1. FAA: Airport taxi contracts violated rulesDate: Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Edition: Broward Metro Section: News Page: 1A
Zone: SB
Byline: By Robert Nolin and Brittany Wallman Sun Sentinel
Illustration: Photo(s)
For almost three decades Jesse Gaddis has been the driving force for taxis - and for many years the only source for cabs - at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

But now the federal government could change all that. And Broward County is considering a series of changes to airport transportation service that could affect all taxis there.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in a July 26 letter, said Broward County violated a technical rule by awarding lengthy, exclusive contracts to Gaddis' company, B & L Services, without seeking approval from the FAA's Civil Rights Office. The contracts, the FAA said, date to 1986.

Though Gaddis' role has changed over those years, from being the airport's sole taxi provider to now its only taxi dispatching service, the FAA reviewed his relationship with the county as a whole.

"The evidence reflects that B & L has had the concession contract for approximately 28 years, and that this is the sole taxicab agreement at the airport," Michael Freilich, director of the FAA's Civil Rights compliance office, wrote. "There is no evidence in the record to indicate that the [County] Commission ever requested approval from FAA of the long-term exclusive contract."

Freilich warned the county that if it fails to remedy the situation, it could face sanctions such as a cutoff of federal money or refusal to approve projects.

Kent George, the county's aviation director, said he is prepared to put out bids for a new taxi dispatching concession.

"We are aware of what the FAA has said, and we have been working for a lengthy time on the ability to go out for a new [bid]," George said.

Gaddis' Yellow Cab company had the monopoly on cabs at the airport for about 25 years, until 2001, when the county opened up the facility to competing cabs. The county put the concession out to bid four times during that period and Gaddis won each time. He still has the dispatching concession, however, which led to complaints that dispatchers favored Gaddis' cabs. George also said the current system is flawed.

"I do not believe it is a good business decision to have the individual that owns the cab company and operates the cab company being the same company that dispatches all ground transportation services," George said. "I believe it's an inherent conflict."

But George otherwise supported Gaddis. "Jesse runs a very good operation," George said. "He has very good cabs and people and they're all in good shape."

The FAA's action came in response to a 2008 complaint against Gaddis' concession by Daniel McCarthy, president of the Alliance of Broward Cab Drivers, who said his affiliation's drivers were losing business. He was heartened by the FAA ruling.

"They agree with us that the dispatching should be separate from the providing of the vehicles," he said.

Gaddis, whose Yellow Cab company owns, leases or dispatches about 550 of Broward's 890 cabs, said he was unaware of the FAA's decision. He questioned why an airport needed FAA approval to award a contract, or whether such a requirement was general knowledge.

"This is news to me," Gaddis said. "I doubt very seriously if any airport knows it has to have FAA approval for a taxicab concession."

McCarthy, he said, "is just one guy that's trying to make problems."

This latest issue comes as the county considers revamping its airport ground transportation to provide better customer service, increase revenue and allow passengers to choose from a menu of different transportation services at a range of costs.

"The first thing people see when they come here is a cab and the airport, and the last thing they see is a cab and the airport," George said. "You want them to see at least some consistency and some quality."

Among a consultant's recommendations under county consideration:
Improve taxicab and driver standards.
Impose per-trip fees to the county for taxis, limos, hotel courtesy vehicles and charter buses to offset the county's expenses.
Set up ground transportation counters for customer information on fares and schedules.
Establish a prearranged area for limo drivers to meet customers.

George said by the end of September or early October he plans to send his recommendations to the County Commission, which will have the final say on whether to adopt the measures.

Gaddis, however, took issue with the proposals, which he said would cost the county millions.

"This is in the wishing stages," he said. "I don't think they understand the complications involved. This whole plan, from my perspective, is a total waste of money and will not add anything to the airport's revenues."

Robert Nolin can be reached at rnolin@SunSentinel.com or 954-356-4525.
2. 50 years of drive

Hard work, political connections and a population explosion made Jesse Gaddis Broward's cab czarDate: Sunday, June 6, 2010
Edition: Broward Metro Section: Business Page: 1D
Zone: SB
Byline: By Doreen Hemlock Sun Sentinel
Memo: Informational box at end of text.
Illustration: Photo(s)
At age 78, taxi tycoon and real estate investor Jesse Gaddis could easily afford to retire, hopping on his small plane to relax at his vacation homes in the Bahamas and North Carolina.

But the straight-talker who grew up poor on an Indiana farm, built Broward County's largest cab company and finances South Florida real estate holdings prefers to spend weekdays at his modest office on Oakland Park Boulevard, refining his 200-employee business and seeking out new deals.

"What else is there to do?," the white-haired Gaddis asked. "Work doesn't have to be boring or dull."

This year marks half a century since Gaddis started in Broward County helping his brothers at a gas station. He developed what became at one point the largest ground transport company in the U.S. southeast, complete with a monopoly on taxi service at Fort Lauderdale's international airport.

Few entrepreneurs can claim his longevity in Broward, and few command as much respect and controversy as Gaddis. Critics claim he has wielded outsized political influence, been aggressive with rivals and can be obstinate. But even those who differ with Gaddis admit he's hard-working, smart, disciplined and passionate - qualities that continue to bring him success even in today's tough times.

"He wouldn't be as successful as he is, if he weren't a hard-driving businessman," said Kent George, Broward's aviation director who wants to revamp ground transport services at the airport.

Gaddis recalls simpler times when he started in Broward in 1960. The county had 300,000 people, versus 1.7 million today. "I-95 wasn't here. University Drive was a just a country road back then. Alligator Alley wasn't completed. The airport had only Eastern" and a couple of small carriers, Gaddis said.

Gaddis, then 28, began by buying up taxis that couldn't pay repair bills at his family gas station and slowly consolidated the local cab business, making political friends along the way. He helped write the county's taxi rules and landed the exclusive contract for taxi service at the airport for 25 years until 1999.

Today, his Yellow Cab system still owns, leases or dispatches most of Broward's cabs: roughly 550. His Go Airport Service spans 150 limos and shuttles. And his B&L Services group has the sole contract to dispatch cabs, limos and shuttles at the airport - a thorn in the side of many smaller cab companies that also now service the airport.

"It's big-time conflict of interest," said Ivalier Duvra, a taxi driver and part owner of Ambassador Taxi of Fort Lauderdale, with 20 cabs. The dispatcher should not be able to own or lease cars and limos it dispatches, Duvra said: "We have nothing against Gaddis. All we want is a fair share of the pie."

Aviation director George also wants an independent dispatcher at the airport to end what he calls "inherent conflict of interest.'" But he praises Gaddis for running a top-notch operation. Since the 1980s, Gaddis has pioneered computerized systems to dispatch cabs and maximize their use. He trains his drivers well and keeps rules to ensure cars are clean and well-maintained, Kent said.

"He must be doing something right when the majority of the independent cab drivers in the entire county work with him," said Kent.

A skilled poker player in his youth, Gaddis parlayed his multi-million-dollar Broward taxi business into related companies: insurance, buses, parking, taxis in West Palm Beach, Philadelphia and Tallahassee - most of which he's sold off in the past decade to business partners.

Some of the earnings he's donated to Broward non-profits - hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Center for the Performing Arts, community college and Boys and Girls Club, among others.

But he keeps investing in real estate. He now owns a majority stake in the 200,000-square-foot Harbor Shops mall and at least one square block off Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale, along with hundreds of acres near Lake Okeechobee and other South Florida holdings. For a decade, he's also been making loans on properties based on what he considers their foreclosure value - not their market price. That conservative approach let him weather the real estate slump and even capitalize on markdowns.

"I've never had a tax loss - not in 20-something years" in real estate, said Gaddis. He refused to say where he's buying property now, but offered this tip: "If you're in the market for a home, now's the best time I've ever seen to buy one. You're buying way below construction costs."

Some Broward veterans say Gaddis is misunderstood. "People overstate his political influence," said County Commissioner John Rodstrom Jr., who has known Gaddis almost all his life. "Politics don't matter a whole lot, because he's put the infrastructure in place" for his business - from buying taxi licenses to communications systems and even insurance providers.

Many people underestimate his business savvy, his love of reading and research and his resilience, added publicist Chuck Malkus, who has served on many tourism boards with Gaddis. "He took risks when others didn't," said Malkus. "And he won't throw in the towel during tough times."

Others say they've learned from Gaddis to stay focused. "He's a very tough person to deal with in business," said Nicki Grossman, a former Broward Commissioner and now the county's tourism chief. "But he taught me a lot about how being pig-headed can get you what you want and what you need."

Gaddis doesn't look back much. He relishes opportunities, even returning to work just weeks after quadruple-bypass surgery early this year. He tries to stay open even in politics, leaning mostly Republican but not always. And he remains centered on Broward, the hometown area
he knows best.

A half century ago, Gaddis never imagined the county so developed and complex. He dares not guess how it might be 50 years from now: "Technology moves so fast. I have no idea."

He's too busy now perfecting his business and making the next real-estate deal.

INFORMATIONAL BOX:
Business interests

Fifty years after starting in Broward, Jesse Gaddis' holdings include full or majority control in:
Yellow Cab systems of Fort Lauderdale, with 550 cabs owned, leased or dispatched.
Go Airport services, with 150 limos and shuttles.
B&L Services, has the contract to dispatch cabs and shuttles at Fort Lauderdale airport.
Harbor Shops, a 200,000-square-foot mall on 20 acres in Fort Lauderdale.
Hundreds of acres near Lake Okeechobee.
Downtown Fort Lauderdale properties, including a square block off U.S. 1.
Yellow Cab of Tallahassee.
Sold interests in:
Transportation Casualty Insurance Co., with sales topping $200 million a year in more than 20 states.
USA Parking, which has had exclusive contracts at Broward's airport, seaport and other sites.
Gray Line bus company of Fort Lauderdale, which had 200 buses at the time of sale.
Yellow Cab of Philadelphia.
Yellow Cab of West Palm Beach.
North Broward School, a private school.
Source: Sun Sentinel research; Jesse Gaddis

His own words

Gaddis said he was raised
in a farmhouse in Indiana with no running water and used to go raccoon hunting as a boy, before he took off to frequent pool halls, play poker, join the Merchant Marine and land in Broward County. He's a straight-talker about business, politics and gambling.
On cards: "Poker is a game of skill. ... To play the game right, you're going to win. ... To me, business is more of a gamble than playing poker."
On campaign ads: "I learned we don't sell advertisements to politicians, and we don't give it to them. It's too controversial."
On government: "Anytime they pass a new law, they ought to at least get rid of a couple."
On the secret to his success: "Researching what I do as much as possible and looking at things from as many viewpoints as possible."

Caption: Broward businessman Jesse Gaddis has spent the past 50 years growing his taxi business into a giant transportation company and branching out into insurance, buses, parking and real estate.
Mike Stocker, Sun Sentinel
As Broward County has grown, so has Jesse Gaddis' taxi business. He developed what became at one point the largest ground transport company in the Southeast.
Nicholas Von Staden, Sun Sentinel file

February 1, 2011

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 1, 2011 05:57 PM

State Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Parkland, said Tuesday pension changes are coming for government employees in Florida.

Among the changes he said are likely:

Government employees would have to contribute toward their retirement instead of having taxpayers pick up 100 percent of the cost.

New employees would go into a defined contribution plan. That’s similar to what most private sector workers have, with 401k plans. The government standard is the old fashioned defined-benefit plan that pays out a guaranteed benefit at retirement.

Compensation would be redefined to include salary – not overtime. That’s a common practice among some government employees, particularly police and firefighters, who rack up lots of overtime just before retirement to boost the retirement benefits they get based on their pay including all the extra overtime.

Ring, who is chairman of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee, which is handling the issue, delivered the message to leaders of the Broward League of Cities. They’re the city, town and village elected officials that have to come up with the money to pay pension benefits to their employees.

League leaders met with the Broward Legislative Delegation on Tuesday.
Ring made his comments the same day Gov. Rick Scott previewed his plan for dealing with state employee pensions.

Watch Ring in the video, below. The woman next to him is Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper.

Here’s Scott’s press release:

Keeping in line with his 7-7-7 plan and his plan to modernize the Florida Retirement System, Governor Rick Scott announced today that he would send the Legislature a budget proposal that better aligns government workers’ pensions with those in the private sector and saves taxpayers $2.8 billion over two years.

Governor Scott announced that the savings would be realized by requiring government employees to contribute five percent of their salaries to the system and requiring new employees to enroll in investment plans similar to private sector 401(k)s.

“We must bring Florida in line with the private sector and nearly every other state in the country by requiring government workers to contribute towards their own retirement,” said Governor Scott.

The Governor also announced his intention to close the Deferred Retirement Option Program to new participants as of July 1, 2011, and to reduce the annual service credit to 1.6 percent for most members (special risk class members, to two percent).

Governor Scott said the Cost of Living Adjustment on retirement benefits will be eliminated for all service earned after July 1, 2011. Current retirees will be unaffected. Those members retiring after July 1, 2011, will receive a three percent Cost of Living Adjustment on the retirement benefit attributable to the service earned prior to July 1, 2011, and no cost of living adjustment for service earned after July 1, 2011.

“Government workers, like private sector employees, deserve the opportunity to save for the future, but taxpayers shouldn’t be asked to foot that bill alone.”

Governor Scott said that modernizing the Florida Retirement System would help reduce spending and help get government back to its core missions.

Broward voters, candidates, might wait years for elections hub

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 1, 2011 05:09 PM

Broward County taxpayers no longer can afford a $22 million brand new elections headquarters, and the county Tuesday walked away from a deal that was made at the height of the real estate market.

In doing so, commissioners acknowledged they might be walking directly into a lawsuit with the spurned developers, Charlie Ladd and George Rahael of Broward Barron Inc., who were supposed to build the new voter and candidate hub on Broward Boulevard west of Interstate 95.

Commissioners Tuesday pressed the reset button on years-long efforts to bring voters and election candidates a centrally located hub where residents can register to vote, candidates can qualify to run, voting machines can be housed, voters can personally request absentee ballots and poll workers can be trained.

Saying times have changed, they asked county staff to look for a property or building that could be made into an elections headquarters at half the original price, or $10.8 million.

“There is no easy option,’’ Commissioner Lois Wexler said. “There is no simple, there is no clear. There is nothing, nothing that we can actually get our arms around … I don’t see a pathway to closure, and that’s awfully painful.’’

By a 5-4 vote, Broward commissioners agreed to cancel the contract with Broward Barron. Voting on the dissenting side were Commissioners Ilene Lieberman, Stacy Ritter, Lois Wexler and Kristin Jacobs.

Broward commissioners also bowed to concerns from elections supervisor Brenda Snipes and agreed not to honor county staff’s recommendation to renovate a leased warehouse on Northwest 64th Street in Fort Lauderdale as a solution.

Snipes said afterwards that even though some of the voter services can be done by phone or online, some people “still want that personal touch.’’ Her current set-up, with some operations in downtown Fort Lauderdale and some at the Lauderhill Mall, is inefficient and not voter-friendly, she said. Snipes said the public needs a centrally located elections center.

The county said voters might have to wait two years for a new headquarters, and possibly more. In the meantime, Snipes’s operations would remain in downtown Fort Lauderdale, and possibly in the Lauderhill Mall.

Officials with that mall offered to sell part of it to the county, but elections office attorney

Bernadette Norris-Weeks told commissioners Snipes is not interested in staying.
“The nicest, kindest way I can communicate this is we are looking to be out of this site as soon as possible,’’ Norris-Weeks said Tuesday.

On the losing end of Tuesday’s vote: Broward Barron developers.

Their attorney, Beth-Ann Krimsky of the law firm of Ruden McClosky, gently insisted that the developer still has “a very valid, binding contract’’ and objected to any move to “improperly’’ cancel it.

Ladd was to have it built by December 2010 but struggled getting a loan when the market collapsed. Later he told commissioners he had financing, but by then, the county had hit hard times and suggested a better deal could be had now.

Krimsky urged commissioners to “weigh the real costs, including damages to this developer.’’

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 1, 2011 05:04 PM

The president and CEO of the Winterfest boat parade has been named Fort Lauderdale’s citizen of the year.

Lisa Scott-Founds also is involved in groups from the Fort Lauderdale Women’s Club, A Child is Missing Auxiliary, the Beaux Arts through the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art and the Marine Industries of South Florida. She also is on the board of directors of the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and serves on the city centennial committee.

Scott-Founds was named Tuesday by city commissioners. They also named BJ Buntrock and George Burrows for lifetime achievement honors.

Buntrock is a longtime businesswoman and philanthropist. She has been involved in organizations to help the less fortunate including the Eagle Charter Academy, Hospice of Broward County, Seagull High School and the Pantry of Broward. She also provides scholarships to economically challenged youth.

Burrows was the city’s first black licensed master electrician, receiving his electrician’s license in 1945. He has mentored others in the business and long worked for diversity in the city Police Department and to improve services to the old Dillard High area.

Ed Udvardy was named exemplary former city employee. Udvardy worked for more than 25 years in the Public Works Department. He was responsible for the coordination of the development of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, the original Riverwalk master plan and the privatization of sanitation.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 1, 2011 03:17 PM

Broward Commissioner Chip LaMarca brought up an issue Tuesday that commissioners have heretofore not talked openly about -- the continued absence of Commissioner Ilene Lieberman.

As I reported before, Lieberman has not been physically present for meetings for much of the past six months. Tuesday she was not present, but phoned in to register her votes. As in past meetings, she did not participate in discussion.

She announced after quite a few months that she has a health issue, and hopes to be back soon. Click here for a memory refresher on that.
As LaMarca spoke about her Tuesday, she presumably was present on the phone, but did not respond.

You'll hear what LaMarca said in the video clip above. I only missed his opening line about being "compassionate.'' Lieberman's longtime colleagues, particularly John Rodstrom, lept to her defense. He said the charter seems to allow what Lieberman is doing, and gave some other examples, though none was really analogous.

City history to be displayed at night on buildings

> Posted by Scott Wyman on February 1, 2011 02:50 PM

Coming soon to buildings near you – the history of Fort Lauderdale.

Planners of the city’s centennial celebration are preparing media loops that will soon be displayed at night on the sides of buildings across the community. The loops will show historical pictures of people and places of Fort Lauderdale. There will loops showcasing the four quarters of the city as well as special loops dedicated to the marine industry, historic postcards and “100 years of fun.”

Planners told city commissioners on Tuesday that they will be negotiating rights to show the loops on walls at such places as the Galleria Mall, Las Olas Riverhouse, the downtown federal courthouse and the Hilton Hotel on 17th Street.

They also want loops played on the city’s community access cable channel, at Port Everglades and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, high school events and possibly area movie theaters.

A children’s book has been finished about the city’s history that will be given to city elementary schools as well as after-school programs at libraries and parks. Centennial planners have also completed traveling displays and art that will be used by speakers.

> Posted by Brittany Wallman on February 1, 2011 12:30 PM

UPDATED with votes
Broward's Supervisor of Elections Dr. Brenda Snipes is at the County Commission this morning, along with her red-bedecked sorority sisters, to fight a proposal to move her

Dr. Brenda Snipes, in red.

operations to a warehouse on Northwest 64th Street in north Fort Lauderdale.

The original proposal was to build a new headquarters for her on Broward Boulevard, just west of Interstate 95, where developer Charlie Ladd recently built an office park.

Ladd said he invested a million dollars prepping for this deal, and he also is none too pleased with an agenda item today to cancel that deal. He had hired lobbyist Judy Stern to work the deal behind the scenes, to no avail.

UPDATE: Commissioners voted to take the 64th Street site out of the running, bowing to Snipes's request and her complaint that the property is, as Commissioner Dale Holness put it, "out in the boondocks.'' The vote was 5-4, with Commissioners Stacy Ritter, Ilene Lieberman, Kristin Jacobs and Lois Wexler dissenting. Commissioners then voted 5-4 with the same dissenters, to cancel the deal with developer Charlie Ladd's Broward Barron Inc. The county will go back out looking for a different site, a cheaper option, including possibly the Ladd site if the deal can be done for about half the price.

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 1, 2011 10:01 AM

No surprise, but U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, and Allen West, R-Plantation, have completely different views of the health care law, and the ruling by a judge that it's unconstitutional.

West:

“[The] ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson reaffirms my belief that the health care law is unconstitutional. Democrats pushed this bill through Congress last year after repeatedly ignoring constitutional law as well as public opposition. Today’s ruling is another important step in ensuring the Federal government does not overstep its boundaries by taking control over personal health care decisions. It has always been my belief that health care decisions should be made between patients, families, and their doctors, not politicians and bureaucrats. As this law makes its way through the court system, I am confident the constitution will prevail and this ruling will stand.”

Deutch:

"The American people want Congress to focus on jobs and the economy, rather than the political spectacle of repealing health care reform. Unlike in today's decision, the argument that health care reform somehow exceeds the authority of Congress to regulate interstate commerce has already been rejected by twelve federal judges. Individuals who forgo basic health coverage are in fact participating in interstate commerce by forcing their fellow taxpayers to foot the bill for their expensive emergency room care. Congress has the authority to slow the premium hikes and rising costs that are squeezing our businesses, families, and health care providers across America.”

Wasserman Schultz to write book due out before next election

> Posted by Anthony Man on February 1, 2011 08:43 AM

The book doesn't have a title yet, said John J. Murphy, vice president and director of publicity at St. Martin's Press. It will be published sometime in the spring of 2012.

The book promises to be wide-ranging.

Here's what St. Martin's press release said about the project:

Wasserman Schultz’s book will question what kind of country we will leave our children and if, in the words of President Obama in his State of the Union address, “…all of us—as citizens and as parents—are willing to do what’s necessary to give every child a chance to succeed.”

"The book ... will cover a wide swath of contemporary topics including education, health and safety, the environment, national security and innovation and technology, and will lay out an urgent challenge to our nation so we can secure our children’s future, now and for generations to come. She will argue that our continued neglect on these issues jeopardizes America’s success and risks our very future."

The book will be written with Julie Fenster, a New York Times bestselling author, and Kimberly Gutzler, a children’s advocate, St. Martin's said.

Wasserman Schultz is beginning her fourth term in Congress. She's a former member of the Florida House and Florida Senate and is a vice chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee.

Broward County is an unusually rich territory for political news. The Broward Politics blog is devoted to the politicians, the activists, the parties, the policies, the issues, the elections - in the county and its communities.

ANTHONY MAN is the Sun Sentinel’s political writer. Concentrating on local political people, parties and trends, he also covers state and national politics from a South Florida perspective. He's coordinating the Broward Politics blog with contributions from reporters throughout the county. Before moving to the Broward political beat, he covered politics and Palm Beach County government for the Sun-Sentinel, including touch-screen voting and the Supervisor of Elections Office. He's also covered municipal, county, state, and federal elections and made repeated reporting trips to Tallahassee for regular and special sessions of the Florida Legislature. He joined the Sun-Sentinel in 2002 after covering state and local politics in Illinois. Like so many others in South Florida, he's originally from a New York suburb (Rockland County).

BRITTANY WALLMAN covers Broward County and news. A 1991 University of Florida graduate, Wallman started her journalism career at the Fort Myers News Press. She and her husband Bob Norman have two young children -- Creed and Lily. Wallman was born in Iowa and spent half her childhood there, the remainder in Oklahoma. She has covered local government and elections her entire reporting career -- including covering the infamous 2000 recount here in the presidential election. (She has a Mason jar with a "hanging chad'' inside to prove it.)

LARRY BARSZEWSKI covers Fort Lauderdale and Wilton Manors. In the past, he has reported on Palm Beach County government and schools, aging and social issues, Pompano Beach, Deerfield Beach and state legislative sessions. He wrote for the Denver Post, Bradenton Herald and Miami Herald before joining the Sun Sentinel in 1988. A Massachusetts native, he lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Maggie, and teenage daughters Jessica and Jackie.